Transport Ministry: RM9.21 Billion Spent On Road Accidents In 2016
About RM9.21 billion was spent due to road accidents last year, revealed Transport Minister Liow Tiong Lai.
Citing the latest report from the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), Liow said this was an increase of RM581.3 million compared with 2015.
In terms of medical costs, productivity loss and other payouts, Miros estimates the country pays an average of RM1.2 million for a death; RM120,000 for severe injuries; and RM12,000 for light injuries.
Liow added that 7,152 people were killed in 521,466 road accidents last year.
The death rate due to road accidents rose slightly to 2.59 people for every 10,000 registered vehicles last year compared with 2.55 in 2015, he told a press conference after a radio interview with 988 and Suria FM on Thursday.
Malaysia has always been in the top tier when it comes to deaths caused by road accidents.
The World Health Ranking 2011 placed Malaysia at number 20 in its list of countries with the most deaths caused by road accidents.
Also, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) studied road safety levels in Malaysia and found that the country had a relatively high traffic crash rate per owned vehicle. The top reason: The high number of motorcycles on the road.
