Status Paper On Road Safety 2009, Malaysia

STATUS PAPER ON ROAD SAFETY (2009)

MALAYSIA
1. National Statistical Trend In Road Accident

Road fatalities, serious injuries, road accidents (source: Royal Malaysian Police)

For latest accident data records (2009; refer Table A), a casualty (refer Table B) for traffic
accident (Royal Malaysia Police) includes 6,218 fatalities; 6,978 serious injured and 12,072 light
injuries. Total registered vehicle in the same year estimated at 19,020,000 vehicles whereas total
Malaysian population (Statistical Department) at about 28,310,000 people.
Findings: Death rates
(Refer Table C) i) per 100,000 people = 23.83
ii) Per 10,000 vehicles = 3.55

Pedestrian deaths rate (per 100,000 people & per 10,000 vehicles) (source: Royal Malaysian
Police)

For latest accident data records (2009), a casualty for pedestrian (Royal Malaysia Police) includes
593 fatalities, 613 serious injured and 1,171 light injuries. Total registered vehicle in the same
year estimated at 19,020,000 vehicles whereas total Malaysian population (Statistical Department)
at about 28,310,000 peoples.
Findings: Pedestrian death rates
(Refer Table D) i) Pedestrian death per 100,000 people = 0.31
ii) Pedestrian death per 10,000 vehicles = 2.09

Motorcycle deaths (per number of motorcycles)

Based on 2009 data, total number motorcycles are 8,940,230 and 113,962 involved in accidents.
About 4,070 deaths (include motorcyclist and pillion rider) recorded. Estimated motorcycle deaths
per number of motorcycles involved is 2196.

Road accident deaths of children less than 5 years

Based on 2009 accident data recorded, total numbers of casualties for children less than 5 years are
107includes 32 deaths, 24 serious injuries and 51 minor injuries have been recorded.

Fleet safety records of public or private organisation (deaths/100,000 km)

No record / unavailable data at this moment

2. Current National Government policy for Road Safety

• Currently Malaysian’s strategies to reduce disabilities from injuries and accident are accident
reduction and prevention; and injury reduction. Accident reduction and prevention involves
the application of “Three Es”: education, engineering and enforcement whereas injury
reduction involves the application of appropriate safety policies, vehicle and road engineering
approaches, and medical and trauma management.
• Government have provide nationwide road safety targets by 2010 as follows:
o 10 deaths per 100,000 population
o 2 deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles
o 10 deaths per billion vehicle kilometres travelled
• Furthermore, under Ministry of Transportation of Malaysia, a ‘Road Safety Plan 2006-2010’
have been drafted and agreed by the Government to provide guidelines and initiatives for road
safety in Malaysia by providing 9 road safety strategies.
 Status Paper On Road Safety 2009, Malaysia

3. National Road Safety Indicators

Road users

• Motorcycle daytime head lights campaign (Radin Umar Radin Suhadi. Critical Review of
Road Safety in Malaysia. Volume 7, No 1, the Proceeding of the Chartered Institute of
Transport in the UK. March 1998) –was launched nationwide on July1992 to study the impact
of running daytime headlight for motorcyclist to improve the conspicuity of motorcycles.
September1992, regulation of compulsory use of headlight was imposed on all motorcyclists.
Radin revealed that running daytime headlight reduced conspicuity related motorcycle
accident by 29%.

• Road Safety Education in Schools: Under Initiative Programmes 2004/2005 (National Road
Safety Council, National Road Safety Council Report 2004/2005, 45th Annual General
Meeting, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Disember 2005) by Road Safety Council, Ministry of
Transport, pilot study on Road Safety Education has undergone in 2005 in Pasir Mas,
Kelantan. The purpose of this study is to increase awareness of road safety for school children
(mainly in primary school 1, 2 and 3) by providing road safety curriculum (in Malay and
English language). Because of positive reaction received, the program maybe extended to all
primary school of 1, 2 and 3 in 2006.

• Usage of helmet, seat belt, child restraints: usage of helmet and seatbelts (front and back) is
mandatory in Malaysian Law while the usage for child seatbelt is currently is not a mandatory.
Usage of helmet for every motorcycle users (rider & pillion) is a mandatory and provided as a
regulation in Road Traffic Act 1987 [clause???]. Whereas for usage of frontal seatbelt written
in the same act. Violation of the seat belt law is a compoundable offence with a maximum
confine of RM300 (1US$= RM3.80). One study done by Road Safety Research Centre,
Univesiti Putra Malaysia (Kulanthayan S., Raha A.R., Law T.H. And Radin Umar R.S. Seat
Belt Use Among Car Users In Malaysia. Road Safety Research Centre, Universiti Putra
Malaysia. 2003) shows that the seating position, driving location, education level,
enforcement activity, attitude to speeding and night-time driving are the contributing factors
that influence the compliance behaviour to seat belt use in Malaysia.When the compulsory
helmet law was earlier enforced, 30% reduction in motorcycle fatalities was reported
Supramaniam (Supramaniam, V, Belle, V, and Sung, J, Fatal Motorcycle Accidents and
Helmet Laws in Peninsular Malaysia, Accident Analysis and Prevention, Vol. 16, No, 3,
1984).

Roads

• The Road Planning Division represents Ministry of Works (MOW) on the Executive Board of
the Road Safety Council. This division is responsible for construction and maintenance of
roads and associated facilities, such as motorcycle lanes, pedestrian crossings, and others,
through its three main agencies: Highway Planning Unit, Malaysia Highway Authority, and
Public Works Department.

Highway Planning Unit. MOW’s Highway Planning Unit assists in identifying the country’s
black spot locations. This information is then used by PWD to carry out black spot treatment.
Malaysia Highway Authority. The Malaysia Highway Authority is an agency under MOW
that deals only with toll road highways. Its main contribution is monitoring highway safety.
 Status Paper On Road Safety 2009, Malaysia

Public Works Department. PWD, which is also under MOW, is represented on the
Executive Board by its Unit of Road Design (Road Safety). PWD carries out black spot
treatment and road safety audits in the country.

• Planning/design of roads (especially Federal Road) is under provision of Ministry of Works,

Malaysia. A numbers of road safety programs were initiated under the MOW to include road
safety audit program, motorcycle lane program, hazardous locations improvement and road
safety program and low cost countermeasure.

• Road safety program was initiated by Public Works Department involving auditing works on
unsafe road safety elements and then try to improve and elevate the safety by removing the
elements as earliest as road planning stage. During earlier stage, priority of road safety
program only to Federal Road. In review of the increase of road accident on other type of road
(namely State road and Municipal Road) in 2004, Cabinet Committee on Road Safety has
agreed that scope of road safety program should be widened to all road types.

• Motorcycle lane program was earlier initiated by Highway Planning Unit because of close to
57% of road accident involved motorcycle. In review of the current accident condition, then in
2000, the Government has agreed to construct 15 motorcycle lanes in Peninsular Malaysia.
Until now, this program still undergoing and being monitored and implemented by PWD.

• Hazardous locations improvement implemented to raised the safety of Malaysian road

especially Federal Roads. The remedial measured was carried out by PWD and in the year of
2010 expenditure to MYR15 was spent to treat 30 black spot areas.

• Low cost countermeasure was introduced because of the need of urgency in improving
localised accident location especially during festive season whereby during these times, a
drastic increase of road accident have occurred. Engineering approaches taken are as follows
i) Accident prevention (pro-active action); ii) Accident reduction (re-active action); iii) road
maintenance; and iv) construct new road. Measure taken are combination of works such as
putting up new road signage, road stud, road line painting, transverse bars, hump and etc.

Vehicles

Total Motor Vehicles by Type, Malaysia, 2009

Types Motor Cars Bus Taxi Hired Car Goods Others Total
cycles Transport

Total 8,940,230 8,506,080 66,581 79,149 16,579 936,222 471,941 19,020,000

Source : Road Transport Department

• In review of current practice of vehicle regulation in Malaysia, Road Transport Department of

Ministry of Transportation has a say on that particular area. In practice of vehicle
maintenance, all goods vehicle should comply with periodic maintenance and sent to
PUSPAKOM for inspections.

• Furthermore, SIRIM has provided some indicator for safety requirement in new vehicles.
Nevertheless, local automotive manufacture also realise the important of such safety
mandatory regulation been provided for their exported car as the need to comply with the car
safety regulation of the exported country.
 Status Paper On Road Safety 2009, Malaysia

System & operation

• For the purpose of accident data, Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) has provided the valuable
data to required agencies by recording accident data in Revised Accident Form POL 27 (Pin
1/91). Since the requirement of recording an accident fully implemented on 1992, Highway
Planning Unit (HPU), Ministry of Works Malaysia, work as one of the agency utilising those
data to be insert to Accident Database. Ministry of Works developed Road Accident
Management Systems (RAMS) to identified black spot locations based on accident data
provided by Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM). By using RAMS time taken to identify black
spot is reduced from 18 months to 1 month only and immediate actions could be taken to
remedy the black spots.

• Using the accident database, hazardous accident location can be identified and further
remedial action can be taken to improve the safety of the identified location. As yearly
practice and MS ISO requirement, a list of hazardous location will be provided to Road
Branch, PWD for improvement.

4. Asian Highway road safety status & trends

• Asian Highway network in Malaysia includes

Table A: Yearly Comparison of Traffic Accident (2005-2009)

Accident 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Fatal 5,623 5,719 5,672 5,974 6,218
Serious
7,600 7,373 7384 7,019 6,978
Injury
Light Injury 25,905 15,596 13979 12,893 12,072
Damage
289,136 312,564 336,284 347,185 372,062
Only
Total 328,264 341,252 363,319 373,071 397,330

Table B: Yearly Comparison of Traffic Injuries (2005-2009)

Injuries 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Fatal 6,200 6,287 6,282 6,527 6,745
Serious
9,395 9,253 9,273 8,868 8,849
Injury
Light
37,417 19,885 18,444 16,879 15,823
Injury
Total 53012 35,425 27,645 32,274 31,417
 Status Paper On Road Safety 2009, Malaysia

Table C: Death Rate per 10,000 vehicles and per 100,000 people (2005-2009)

2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Total Vehicle* 14,816,407 15,790,732 16,825,150 17,733,084 19,020,000
Population ** 26,130,000 26,640,000 27,173,600 27,728,700 28,310,000
death/ 10,000
4.18 3.98 3.73 3.68 3.55
vehicles
death/ 100,000
23.73 23.60 23.12 23.54 23.83
people

Table D: Pedestrian Death Rate per 10,000 vehicles and per 100,000 peoples
(2005 – 2009)
Injury
User 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Type
Pedestrian Fatal 601 595 636 598 593
Serious
747 711 672 617 613
Injury
Light
2,175 1493 1430 1184 1,171
Injury
Total registered vehicles & total population
Total Registered
14,816,407 15,790,732 16,825,150 17,733,084 19,020,000
Vehicle*
Population ** 26,130,000 26,640,000 27,173,600 27,728,700 28,310,000
Pedestrian Deaths Rate
death/ 10,000 vehicles 0.40 0.38 0.37 0.33 0.31
death/ 100,000 people 2.30 2.23 2.34 2.16 2.09
Source: **Statistical Department; *Transport Department, MOT & Royal Malaysian Police