Driver negligence cited as main cause of accidents during Op Selamat 26

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By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, Mar 25: Driver negligence and carelessness were identified as the main causes of road accidents during the six-day Op Selamat 26 campaign in Sarawak, according to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM).

Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohamad Zainal Abdullah said, accidents were largely due to drivers failing to control their vehicles, exceeding speed limits and losing control, head-on collisions, carelessness when entering or exiting junctions and rear-end collisions.

“During the operation, conducted from Mar 19 to 24 in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri 2026, Sarawak recorded 283 road accidents, a decrease of 49 cases (-14.8 per cent) compared with 332 incidents during Op Selamat 24/2025,” he said in a recent statement.

Despite the overall decline in accidents, fatalities rose from five in 2025 to eight this year, with car occupants making up the majority of deaths (five people, 62.5 per cent), followed by motorcyclists (two, 25 per cent) and a cyclist (one, 12.5 per cent).

PDRM Sarawak issued 14,723 summonses during the campaign, marking a 119.5 per cent increase from 6,707 summonses issued during Op Selamat 24/2025.

The higher enforcement was part of a pre-emptive and total enforcement approach, involving traffic officers stationed at high-risk locations and stricter action against the five major traffic offences.

He added that the operation incorporated strategies such as Op Lancar and Omnipresence, Show of Force, Enforcement by Objective and public advocacy on safe driving to manage traffic flow and monitor accident-prone areas.

Road users are reminded to adhere to traffic regulations and prioritise safety, emphasising the slogan: ‘Pandu Cermat, Jiwa Selamat dan Sentiasa Ingat Orang yang Tersayang.’— DayakDaily