He said that if road users do not change their mindset then accidents will continue to happen because their attitude play important roles, stressing on the importance of courteousness among drivers. He was speaking t the launch of the 12th Yamaha "Balik Kampung" Road Safety Campaign at the Sungai Besi Toll Plaza where he also reported that out of the 6,218 deaths in road accidents, 60% of them involved motorcyclists and that these are the high-risk group.
He advised those in the high-risk group who are going to ‘balik kampung’ to ensure that their motorcycles are in good working conditions and said that the primary cause of death in this group were due to head injuries. Hence, he called on users in this group to be cautious and always ride on the left lane. He also said that motorcyclists and pillion riders should also wear bright cloths and avoid riding in groups.
The Minister added that between 2004 to 2009, injuries from road accidents had decreased from 46,531 to 25,268 which is 40% while there had also been a decrease of death index per 1,000 which, for the same period stands at 3.55% from its previous 4.51%. Kong said that this is widely contributed by the impact and efforts put in by the government to raise the awareness and dangers for road users. Even if that is the case, he said that the government will not stop and will continue its effort to ensure the accident rate is reduced. Wee Hong, the chairman of the Malaysian Motorcycle and Scooter Dealers Association concurred and echoed the minister’s standpoint that the campaign is to help create the awareness of road safety for the high-risk group of road users.
