By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 17: Malaysia incurs up to RM30 billion in socio-economic losses each year due to road accidents, says Works Minister Dato Sri Alexander Nanta Linggi.
He said the figure is based on the economic value of the risks associated with fatalities, including lost productivity and income, treatment costs, and the impact on families and society.
“However, behind all these calculations, the loss of a life can never truly be measured in monetary terms,” he said in a Facebook post today.
Nanta, who is also Kapit MP, said these findings were presented in a Cabinet committee meeting on road safety and congestion chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Dato Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi today.
He said that in 2025, 6,537 lives were lost, averaging 18 people every day. More concerning, he said, is that 80.6 per cent of accidents are attributed to human factors.
“This shows that road safety is not the responsibility of just one ministry. This is what I emphasise in my speeches time and again. It requires a comprehensive approach involving education, enforcement, technology and safer infrastructure.
“In this regard, the position of the Ministry of Works is clear. We do not want to repair roads only after accidents occur. We want to build and maintain safer roads that reduce risks and minimise human error.
“For me, RM30 billion is not merely an economic figure. It reflects the enormous impact of road accidents on individuals, families and society. But the greatest loss is that of loved ones. We cannot regard 18 deaths a day as something normal,” he said. — DayakDaily
