106 lives lost in road accidents in first four months of 2024

SIBU: Road accidents claimed the lives of 106 people in Sarawak during the first four months of this year, says Transport Minister Datuk Seri Lee Kim Shin.

He said according to road accident statistics obtained from the police, from January to April 2024, the total number of road accident cases is 7,153.

“Of the number, 106 are fatal accidents. As for Sibu, there were seven fatal accidents out of 734 total accidents recorded.”

He said this in his text of speech read by his deputy Datuk Dr Jerip Susil at a road safety campaign in conjunction with Gawai Dayak in Sibu Jaya here today (May 24).

In 2023, Sarawak recorded a total of 428 deaths from 378 fatal accidents and this was an increase of 11.7 per cent compared to 2022.

“From the statistics, there were many factors that caused road accidents. This includes negligence and negligence of the driver (85 per cent); an increase in the number of vehicles on the road (10 per cent); and weather, road and terrain factors (5 per cent).”

Lee also stressed that his ministry places great importance on the safety of road users, especially in Sarawak.

“The government will always ensure that road users are given education about the importance of obeying the traffic rules and inculcate the attitude of practicing cautious  driving at all times.

“Therefore, I would like to advise and call on all road users to look into safety measures, especially during the festive season. This includes using safety equipment such as helmets approved by the authorities.”

Dr Jerip (5th left) during the ribbon cutting ceremony.