Nanta: 80% of Accidents Driver-Linked, Road Budget 70% Short

More than 80% of road accidents in Malaysia are caused by driver behaviour rather than poor road conditions, according to Works Minister Datuk Seri Alexander Nanta Linggi.

Citing data from the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), he said that out of over 500,000 recorded accident cases, only 12 to 13% were due to road-related factors such as surface damage or weather. The rest were largely due to human error, including reckless driving, speeding, and distractions.

Of those cases, 12,000 involved serious injuries while 6,000 resulted in death, with motorcyclists accounting for two-thirds of the fatalities.

Nanta said there’s a common public tendency to blame infrastructure failures for road crashes, even when investigations reveal otherwise.

“Unfortunately, many are still inclined to blame others and won’t admit their own mistakes. But this is the reality we must acknowledge,” he said in an interview with Mingguan Malaysia.

He stressed the need for stronger public awareness campaigns to promote responsible driving behaviour, including obeying speed limits and avoiding phone use while driving.

The comments follow a tragic incident in June involving a Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) bus in Gerik, Perak, where 15 students were killed. While initial reactions blamed road conditions, official findings showed the bus was speeding, travelling at 117 KM/H in a 60 KM/H zone.

Despite the clear role of human error in most accidents, Nanta acknowledged that road maintenance remains a challenge. He revealed that the Works Ministry needs up to RM4 Billion annually to maintain federal roads, but typically receives only about 30% (RM1.2 Billion) of that amount.

The shortfall makes it difficult to keep all roads in optimal condition, especially when some require full rebuilding, not just patchwork repairs.

In the 2025 Federal Budget, the ministry received RM10.35 billion, a 9% increase over the previous year but not all of it is earmarked for road maintenance.

Source: MalayMail & MalayMail 2