Long term improvement in Malaysian road safety observed

The latest official data from Malaysia reveals a general, long-term improvement in road safety. In capital Kuala Lumpur, the road fatality rate has dropped by close to 50% in the 10 year period from 2004 to 2014. In 2013, the road fatality rate stood at at 0.44% of the 1.88 million population in the city, compared with 0.83% of the 1.52 million population recorded in 2004. During January-October 2014, the car crash rate and fatality rate in the city was reported to drop by 289 cases and seven cases respectively, compared with the same period for January-October 2013. However young males aged 16-25 accounted for 40% of the total fatality rate, according to the Kuala Lumpur Road Safety Department. Over 90% of the incidents involved pedestrians and motorcyclists, with the majority of motorcyclists not wearing approved helmets.