Latest news with #VehicleTheftandAccidentReductionCouncilofMalaysia
The Star
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Drop in road accident, vehicle theft cases in 2024
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysians' growing awareness of road safety and vehicle security has led to a decline in cases of both vehicle theft and traffic accidents in 2024, says the Vehicle Theft and Accident Reduction Council of Malaysia (Vtarec). Its chairman, Datuk Lokman Jamaan, said the number of road accidents reported by the insurance industry fell to 266,716 cases in 2024, from 299,657 in 2023, a decrease of just under 11%. He said the total cases involved 229,739 cars, 15,149 motorcycles and 21,828 commercial vehicles. He noted that the figures from the insurance industry were slightly less compared to statistics from the police in both years. 'This is because insurance industry statistics reflect claims made by vehicle owners whose vehicles are insured. 'Meanwhile, police statistics cover all accident cases, including those without insurance coverage,' he said during his speech at the launch of the council's public vehicle theft and road accident awareness campaign yesterday. On a similar note, Lokman said vehicle theft cases fell to 3,925 in 2024 from 4,370 in 2023. The vehicle theft cases included 1,771 private cars, 1,833 motorcycles and 321 commercial vehicles. Lokman warned that commercial vehicle thefts remained alarmingly high, driven by strong demand in illegal markets. 'As the next step, Vtarec will intensify collaboration with ministries, agencies and other stakeholders. 'This will include ramping up eradication efforts, preventive measures and interventions against vehicle theft syndicates, cloned vehicle syndicates and syndicates involved in the 'rebirthing of total lost vehicles' and 'cut cars',' he added.
The Star
28-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Vehicle thefts, traffic accidents declined by over 10% in 2024, says stakeholder group
KUALA LUMPUR: Cases of both vehicle theft and traffic accidents declined by over 10% in 2024 as more Malaysians wise up on road safety and vehicle security, says Vehicle Theft and Accident Reduction Council of Malaysia (VTAREC). VTAREC chairman Datuk Lokman Jamaan said the number of road accidents, based on insurance industry statistics, declined to 266,716 cases in 2024 from 299,657 cases in 2023, a decrease of just under 11%. He noted that the 266,716 cases in 2024 involved 229,739 private motorcars, 15,149 motorcycles, and 21,828 commercial vehicles However, he did note that the figures from the insurance industry were slightly less compared to statistics from the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) in both years. 'This is because insurance industry statistics reflect claims made by vehicle owners whose vehicles are insured. 'Meanwhile, police statistics cover all accident cases, including those without insurance coverage,' he said in his speech at VTAREC's nationwide public vehicle theft and road accident awareness campaign 2025 launch on Wednesday (May 28). He attributed this positive news to more Malaysians becoming increasingly conscious of road safety and vehicle maintenance over the last year due to awareness efforts by VTAREC and the government as a whole. He then called on all Malaysians to continue this positive trend going forward by abiding by the traffic laws, driving cautiously and alert as well as maintaining both their personal health and vehicle fitness. 'By working together at all levels of society, we can reduce road accident rates and consequently the likelihood of fatal accidents occurring," he added. On a similarly positive note, Lokman also said that reported vehicle theft cases in 2024 had dropped to 3,925 compared to in 2023 which recorded 4,370 cases. He said of the almost 4,000 vehicle theft cases in 2024, 1,771 involved private motorcar theft, 1,833 motorcycle theft, and 321 commercial vehicle theft cases. Similarly, he said that the reduction in these cases was due to the cooperation and solid support of all parties, most importantly being the public's increased awareness on the importance of vehicle security. 'As the next step, VTAREC will also intensify collaboration with ministries, agencies, and other related stakeholders. 'This will include stepping up eradication efforts, preventive measures, and intervention steps against vehicle theft syndicates, cloned vehicle syndicates as well as syndicates involving the 'Rebirthing of Total Loss Vehicles', and 'cut cars'. 'This increased cooperation will ensure more effective interventions can be implemented on the vehicle-related ecosystem to ensure this issue is addressed holistically and collectively,' he said. He added that VTAREC would also continue its awareness campaign efforts with the police and other non-governmental organisations due to its notable success over the last year.
The Star
06-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Star
Thousands lack motor insurance
KUALA LUMPUR: Despite strict laws mandating motor insurance for all vehicles that ply the roads, tens of thousands of them are believed to be operating without it, according to a study by the Vehicle Theft and Accident Reduction Council of Malaysia (VTAREC) VTAREC coordinator Mas Tina Abdul Hamid said the findings were based on a study of 740,000 cases of road accidents in 2023, which revealed that insurance claims for damages were only filed for 40% of the cases. 'We found that insurance claims were only made for 299,000 accident cases. 'While police reports were lodged by the parties involved in the accidents, not all the cases saw insurance claims being filed. 'We believe this is likely because certain vehicle owners did not make an insurance claim as they did not possess motor insurance. 'This might seem unimportant, but not having motor insurance can have serious consequences. 'Motor insurance does not only cover the damage to our vehicles but most importantly provides compensation for victims who suffer injuries, or the next of kin of those killed in the event of an accident,' she said at a soft launch ceremony of the council's Vehicle Theft and Road Accident Awareness campaign at a hotel here yesterday. However, Mas Tina said the lower insurance claims could also be a case of motorists who chose not to make a claim for minor repairs and bear the costs themselves to preserve their no-claims discount. She also revealed that road accident fatalities were highest among motorcyclists and pillion riders – making up to 70% of the annual average of 6,000 deaths. However, she said only 13% of accident cases were caused by motorcyclists, although their numbers were 12 times higher than cars. The study revealed that 67% of accidents were caused by cars, while 20% were caused by commercial vehicles. 'Often, bikers are blamed for accidents, but here we have learnt that it is car drivers who need greater awareness on road safety and need to be educated on defensive driving. 'The annual average of fatalities remains alarming. The yearly deaths from accidents can fill graves that may require space the size of six football fields. 'On average, one motorist is killed every 80 minutes. 'Human error is the primary cause of road crashes, making up to eight out of the 10 factors that cause traffic crashes,' added Mas Tina. Last year, the vehicle insurance industry recorded 266,716 accident claims, a 11% decline compared with 299,657 cases in 2023. Mas Tina said 86% of the claims in 2024 involved cars, about 5% motorcycles and 8% commercial vehicles. As for vehicle thefts, she said on average, a vehicle gets stolen in Malaysia every two hours. She said in 2023, 4,086 vehicles were reported stolen nationwide, of which 51% were motorcycles, 41% cars and the rest commercial vehicles. Selangor reported the highest number of cases, followed by Kuala Lumpur, Johor and Sarawak. Based on last year's statistics, six out of 10 cars targeted by thieves were Malaysian-made. She said most of them were old models that were stolen to be cannibalised for spare parts. Also present at the event were VTAREC director Datuk Ooi Win Juat, representatives from traffic police and other government agencies.
