In the district of Kuala Muda, the Road Transport Department (JPJ) has set a goal to decrease the fatal accident rate by 50% this year. Aedy Fadly Ramli, the department’s deputy director general of planning and operations, mentioned that they will be closely monitoring 14 fatal accident-prone “black spots” in the district. These “black spots” include Jalan Alor Setar-Butterworth, Jalan Sungai Petani-Baling, and Jalan Lencongan Timur.
Aedy Fadly Ramli stated, “Despite Kajang, Selangor has the highest accident rate. Fatal accidents occur most frequently in the Kuala Muda district. That’s why JPJ and the Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department will focus on this district and Kedah this year.”
At a road safety awareness programme on Sunday (Jan 20), he said, “We will beef up operations with other enforcement agencies and the state government to reduce the fatal accident rate in Kuala Muda by up to 50%.”He also mentioned that in addition to factors such as uneven and poorly lit roads, the bad driving behaviour is the main cause of fatal accidents in the district.
According to Aedy Fadly, the most common offences causing fatal accidents are running the red light and speeding, with motorcyclists accounting for most of them. Other offences include overtaking on the double lines, using mobile phones while driving, driving in the emergency lane, cutting queues, and not wearing seat belts or helmets.
Based on statistics from January to October 2023, Kajang, Selangor, registered the highest accident rate at 16,530 cases, followed by Ipoh, Perak (12,666 cases); Batu Pahat, Johor (7,662 cases) and Kuala Muda (7,132 cases).
However, Kuala Muda recorded the highest number of fatal accidents, with 135 deaths, followed by Batu Pahat (107), Kajang (106) and Ipoh (101). – Bernama
