N°376Content

Based on global road casualty statistics, someone dies every 30 seconds somewhere as a result of a road traffic crash, and this figure is rising. As a nation with rapid motorization and population growth for the last three decades, Malaysia does observe such a worrying scenario, though at a lower scale. Without increased effort to counter such a trend, the country will see road traffic crashes be at par with HIV/AIDS as a cause of death by 2030. In developing nations like Malaysia, investment in road infrastructure is focused on connecting urban areas and providing more accessibility to new developments. A simple correlation between the total road length and road deaths can tell whether more high speed but less safe roads are justified. Based on the current trend of road deaths, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) has estimated that up to 10,716 lives would be lost in 2020 if nothing is done.