Road accidents up 9.3 pct, fatalities soar 6 pct: Ops Selamat urges attitude change for safer roads

Ibrahim (left) cutting the ribbon to reveal the Ops Selamat poster while Sibu Police Chief ACP Zuklipli Suhaili looks on.

By William Isau

SIBU, Dec 22: The number of road accidents, including fatal incidents, in Sarawak this year has seen a concerning increase of 9.3 percent, totalling 19,495 reported cases in comparison to 2022, which suggests a persistent lack of change in the behaviour and attitude of road users.

Addressing the launch of Ops Selamat today, Sarawak Deputy Police Commissioner Datuk Ibrahim Darus expressed his hope that the operation would contribute to a reduction in road accidents and housebreaking cases during the upcoming Christmas celebration.

“The road accident and fatal incident statistics for 2023 in Sarawak reveal a disheartening lack of improvement in the attitudes of road users. Despite numerous road safety campaigns and reminders, the number of road accidents has increased considerably from January to November this year,” he pointed out.

Ibrahim stated that during this period, road accidents have risen by 9.3 per cent, equating to 1.7 more cases compared to the same timeframe last year. The total reported cases for this year stand at 19,495, as compared to 17,829 cases in 2022.

As for fatal accidents, there were 335 cases reported this year, a 6 per cent increase compared to the 316 cases in 2022.

Reflecting on accidents during the last two Christmas celebrations, Ibrahim noted there were 361 cases in 2022, an increase of 14 cases (or 3.9 per cent) as compared to 2021 with 347 cases.

“However, the number of fatal accidents decreased. There were nine cases in 2022 against 12 in 2021. This shows the positive impact of Ops Selamat in reducing fatalities among road users,” he said.

On Ops Selamat Christmas 2023 running from Dec 22 to 28, Ibrahim said it involved deploying 750 policemen in accident-prone and traffic-congested areas across Sarawak.

The operation extends its coverage to housing areas and riverine transport, with the marine police monitoring water transportation routes in locations such as Sibu, Kapit, Song, Belaga, Kanowit, Tatau, and other areas reliant on river routes.

In conjunction with the launch of Ops Selamat, Ibrahim announced a 30 per cent discount on summons from Dec 22 to 23. Motorists can settle their summonses at the counter located in Farley Supermarket, Sibu, and Sibu Traffic police counters. — DayakDaily