KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — A total of 69.4 per cent of all road accidents in the country last year involved people aged between 16 and 40.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said there were 6,157 cases involving individuals aged 16 to 20, followed by 5,978 cases involving those aged 21 to 25, 4,716 cases involving those aged 26 to 30, and 3,640 cases involving individuals aged 31 to 35.

“The data for 2024 shows a similar trend. Those aged 70 and above account for only a small proportion of the cases, and they were not necessarily the drivers; they may have been passengers or otherwise involved, which is why they appear in the accident statistics.

“Heavy vehicles, drunk driving and reckless driving are among the main factors contributing to the high number of road accidents in the country,” he said during the oral question-and-answer session in the Dewan Rakyat today.

He was responding to a supplementary question from Mohd Nazri Abu Hassan (PN-Merbok), who asked which age group accounted for the highest number of fatal road accidents.

Earlier, in his reply to the original question on whether the government plans to make health screenings mandatory as an additional requirement for the renewal of driving licences for those aged 70 and above, Hasbi said the Ministry of Transport is continuously reviewing international best practices on the licensing of elderly drivers.

“Based on a study conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), the findings and international analyses show that there is no conclusive evidence that introducing mandatory age-based health screenings would significantly reduce the road accident rate.

At the same time, he said restrictions imposed solely on the basis of age could potentially affect the mobility and well-being of older persons, particularly in accessing healthcare services, carrying out daily activities and participating in community activities.

He said advancing age does not necessarily mean a person loses the ability to drive, as each individual’s health and capabilities vary, and many older people remain capable of driving safely and responsibly.

“At present, a medical examination using the JPJL8/JPJL8A form is mandatory for all new applications and renewals of vocational driving licences (goods vehicle and public service vehicle), regardless of the applicant’s age,” he said. — Bernama