KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 69.4% or 6,157 cases of all road accidents in the country last year involved people aged between 16 and 40, says Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah (pic).
Accidents involving road users aged 21 to 25 recorded 5,978 cases, 4,716 cases involving those aged 26 to 30, and 3,640 cases involving individuals aged 31 to 35.He said data for 2024 shows a similar trend.
“Those aged 70 and above account for only a small proportion of the cases.”
“Heavy vehicles, drunk driving and reckless driving are among the main factors contributing to the high number of road accidents in the country,” he told the Dewan Rakyat, Bernama reported.
Hasbi was responding to a supplementary question from Merbok MP Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan, who asked which age group accounted for the highest number of fatal road accidents.
Earlier, in his reply to the original question on whether the government plans to make health screenings mandatory for the renewal of driving licences for those aged 70 and above, Hasbi said the Transport Ministry is continuously reviewing international best practices on the licensing of elderly drivers.
“Based on a study conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research, the findings and international analyses show there is no conclusive evidence that introducing mandatory age-based health screenings would significantly reduce the road accident rate,” he said.
He said age-based restrictions could affect the mobility and well-being of older people, particularly in accessing healthcare services, carrying out daily activities and participating in community activities.
