NEGATIVE ATTITUDES CAUSE MOST ROAD FATALITIES, SAYS TRANSPORT MINISTER

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 8 (Bernama) -- Negative attitudes displayed by car drivers
and motorcyclists are the main cause of road fatalities, Transport Minister
Kong Cho Ha said.

He said among the negative attitudes were speeding, reckless driving, sudden
braking, trailing closely and not stopping at red lights.

"Based on the statistics from the ongoing Ops Sikap 23, 93 out of 147 deaths
recorded so far involved motorcyclists while 37 others were car users,
pedestrians (10), van passengers (two), lorry co-drivers (two), taxi driver
(one), jeep passenger (one) and pillion rider (one)," he said in a statement
here Monday.

He said the analysis clearly showed that public transport like express buses
and trains were still the safer options than private transport like cars and
motorcycles.

"Up till Monday, a total of 12,614 accidents were reported and we believe
the North-South Expressway will continue to be congested over the next few days
as many people will be returning to the city after a week-long holiday.

"Hence, all road users, including bus and commercial vehicle operators, are
advised to be extra careful to ensure that they will be safe throughout the
journey and they should also ensure that the buses are in good condition," he
said.

In other developments, Kong said 1,182 tour buses were inspected and 286
summonses were issued to their operators for various traffic offences in the
'Ops Bas Persiaran', which began on Dec 31 and ended Sunday.

He said beginning Jan 21 until Feb 20, a total of 3,500 officers from the
ministry's agencies had also been deployed as undercover passengers and to
conduct spot-checks on tour buses at rest and service areas nationwide.

"Continuous and strict enforcement on these errant drivers has
restored the public's faith in using public transport to return to their
hometown during the festive seasons," he added.