Driver Negligence Identified As Leading Cause Of Accidents In Malaysia

According to a report issued by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM), driver negligence was the primary cause of a significant number of accidents in Malaysia. A staggering 250,727 of the 1.2 million accidents that occurred nationwide from 2021 to August 2023 were the result of driver negligence, claiming 13,516 lives, Malay Mail reported.

Tailgating was identified as the leading cause of accidents, according to Bukit Aman's Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) director, Datuk Seri Mat Kassim Karim, with 81,136 cases recorded. Other common causes included driver inattention, which frequently coincided with cell phone use and resulted in 59,032 accidents. Carelessness at intersections was responsible for 46,786 accidents.

Overtaking without caution caused 33,168 accidents, while driver inattention, drowsiness, or daydreaming caused 30,605 accidents. Speeding, running red lights, driving against traffic flow, and single-vehicle accidents were also identified as major contributing factors to accidents.

According to the statistics, the most accidents occurred in 2022, with a total of 545,588 cases. There were 370,286 accidents recorded in 2021, and 344,207 cases were recorded from January to August 2023. With 163,405 reported cases, urban roads were identified as the most accident-prone. State roads were followed by federal roads (61,977 cases), highways (37,803 cases), and other roads (35,315 cases).