KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — A total of 69.4 per cent of all road crashes in the country last year involved people aged between 16 and 40, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He said there were 6,157 cases involving those aged 16 to 20; 5,978 cases among those aged 21 to 25; 4,716 cases among those aged 26 to 30; and 3,640 cases among those aged 31 to 35.
“The data for 2024 shows a similar trend. Those aged 70 and above account for only a small proportion of the cases, and they were not necessarily the drivers; they may have been passengers or otherwise involved, which is why they appear in the crash statistics.
“Heavy vehicle (collisions), drink driving and reckless driving are among the main factors contributing to the high number of road crashes in the country,” he said during the oral question-and-answer session today.
He was responding to a supplementary question from Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok) about which age group accounts for the highest number of fatal road crashes.
Earlier, in his reply to the original question on whether the government plans to make health screenings mandatory for driving licence renewals for those aged 70 and above, Hasbi said the Transport Ministry consistently reviews international best practices on the licensing of elderly drivers.
“Based on a study conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), findings and international analyses show there is no conclusive evidence that introducing mandatory age-based health screenings would significantly reduce the road crash rate,” Hasbi said.
He added that restrictions imposed solely on the basis of age could elderly people’s mobility and well-being of older persons, especially in accessing healthcare services and participating in community activities.
He said advancing age does not necessarily mean one loses the ability to drive, as each person’s health and capabilities vary and many senior citizens are capable of driving safely and responsibly.
“At present, a medical examination using the JPJL8/JPJL8A form is mandatory for all new applications and renewals of vocational driving licences (goods and public service vehicles), regardless of the applicant’s age,” Hasbi said.
