4 days ago
Bukit Aman urges safety review of drivers aged over 60 after nearly 7,000 deaths since 2019
PETALING JAYA — The police have reportedly called for a study on how to better ensure road safety for drivers aged 61 and above, after nearly 7,000 fatalities involving this group were recorded between 2019 and 2024.
According to Utusan Malaysia, Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) data showed that 19,812 drivers in this age bracket were involved in road accidents — 6,733 were killed, 2,132 sustained serious injuries and 10,947 suffered minor injuries.
'Age is not an obstacle to prudent driving, but the Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department believes that safety involving elderly drivers must be taken into account,' department director Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri was quoted as saying.
Mohd Yusri reportedly said that the aim was not to stop senior citizens from driving, but to have a mechanism to assess the health of older road users so that roads remain safe for everyone.
'We understand that stopping this group from driving is not easy due to cultural factors in Malaysia. Some use their vehicles to go to the surau, pick up grandchildren from school and so on,' he was quoted as saying
Mohd Yusri reportedly said that it was important for all stakeholders to carry out a comprehensive study on the issue before any decision is made, particularly by the Ministry of Transport, which is responsible for setting road-related policies.
According to the report, he also said the approach should be balanced with an assessment of a person's health and driving ability, rather than being based solely on age.
