Loke showing the statistics of road accidents. Bernama photo
PUTRAJAYA: The Transport Ministry will seek the views of the public regarding the minimum age for obtaining a driving licence before making any decision on it, says Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
Currently, he said the minimum age for obtaining a driving licence in Malaysia is 16 for a motorcycle and 17 for a car.
“We want the people, especially parents to give their views whether there is a need to review the minimum age to get a driving licence. They can share their views via our social media platforms, namely the Road Safety Department’s (RSD), the ministry’s or even my Facebook page,” he said.
Speaking to reporters after visiting the RSD office here yesterday, Loke said statistics showed that 7,152 fatal road fatalities were reported in 2016 involving 1,161 deaths of those aged between 16 and 20, and about 1,000 others aged between 21 and 25.
“The biggest contributor to the accident rate is motorcyclists and pillion riders, which made up about 60 per cent. This is very worrying, which is why we have to talk about it. We know this is not an easy decision to make,” he said.
Loke, however, acknowledged that many young people in rural areas, especially those who are still in secondary schools, have the need to use motorcycles to school due to lack of public transport.
In order to raise the level of awareness among road users, especially among the youths, he proposed advocacy programmes to be implemented to attract their attention.
“We hope the youths can give good ideas and suggestions to the RSD via our social media or submit a proposal on the best way to implement the programmes at school and state level. We do not want the programmes to be held in schools without the youngsters showing interest,” said Loke.
While acknowledging that the road safety awareness programmes required RM1 million annually, Loke also expressed hope that insurance companies as well as vehicle companies would take part in corporate social responsibility programmes together with the RSD by making short films to raise awareness of road safety.
He said the ministry would also continue looking for out-of-the-box approaches so that the awareness messages can be communicated to the people. – Bernama