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Kuala Lumpur, 13 July 2015 – According to the General Road Accident Data in Malaysia (1997 – 2014), road accidents in Malaysia have increased significantly over the past 10 years with 476,196 accidents in 2014 compared to 326,815 accidents in 2004, an increase of 46% or 149,381 cases. Since 2000, the number of registered vehicles has also increased by 6% each year with more than 25 million registered vehicles in March this year.
“There appears to be an increase in road accidents with many people commuting to their homes during a festive season or when going on a long holiday break. Despite many efforts to raise public awareness on road safety the number of accidents continues to escalate. In 2014, the general insurance and takaful industry paid a total of RM5.64 billion in total motor claims. This amounts to a staggering RM15.5 million paid out every day”, highlighted the Chairman of Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA), Ahmad Rizlan Azman.
The insurance industry is fully committed to raise awareness on road safety and to assist the public during an accident. MTA and the General Insurance Association of Malaysia (PIAM) reached out to motorists at the Batu Toll DUKE Plaza last Saturday to promote the Accident Assist Call Centre (AACC).
The AACC is a 24-hour nationwide hotline service (1300-22-11-88) which provides emergency roadside assistance to accident victims. It connects these accident victims directly with their respective Insurers and Takaful operators, giving assistance on emergency towing services and attending to all motor claims enquiries.
Both Associations advised motorists and road users to take the following actions in the event of an accident.
- Obtain name (s) and address (es) of other driver(s) involved
- Note the vehicle registration number(s) and make of vehicle
- Take photos of the damaged vehicles(s) and the accident scene
- Ask for the name of their insurers and their policy or certificate number
- Do not discuss whose fault it was at the accident scene
- Inform your insurers as soon as possible even if you do not intend to make a claim. This is a requirement of your policy
- Complete and return the insurer’s accident report form and include any additional relevant information not mentioned in the direct questions, which may be important or material
Representatives from MTA, PIAM and the AACC service centre distributed over 2,000 road safety packs containing information about the AACC and breaking fast snacks to motorists. The Associations also used this platform to remind all road users to drive with care, practice safe driving habits and seek the right help in the unfortunate event of an accident. The representative of MTA, Tuan Azza Afif Tuan Yusof and Chief Executive Officer of PIAM, Mark Lim jointly officiated the event.
Mark Lim commented that “the number of road accidents on federal roads is the highest followed by state roads. The 3 main accident contributory factors identified by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) for such accidents are risky driving (28%), speeding (21%) and fatigue (16%). All of these factors are man-made and can be managed with proper road safety understanding by the motorists. Therefore, PIAM and MTA are here to focus on accident prevention and reduction and if an accident occurs, how we can help lessen the burden for the victims”.
Aside from the AACC, the Associations also work closely with all relevant stakeholders to raise the level of road safety awareness among road users including MIROS and the Road Safety Department (JKJR).