Police may conduct Op Selamat during festival intervals

KUALA LUMPUR: Police are mulling over at least two comprehensive traffic operations similar to the Op Selamat campaign in a bid to reduce accident rates in the country.

Deputy Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Noor Rashid Ibrahim said the operations were proposed following the recent Op Selamat, which showed that the number of accidents was increasing.

However, there was a decline in the number of deaths recorded.

“Accidents cost billions of ringgit in losses to the country.

“Some 60 per cent of those involved in accidents are motorcyclists, and a majority of them are men under 40.

“This will affect the income of the individuals involved and the country’s growth as productivity (of a company) decreases when people have to take medical leave and pay for treatment.

“It also affects the accident victims emotionally,” he said after presenting appreciation letters to courteous road users in conjunction with the recent Op Selamat.

Rashid said looking at last year’s accident statistics, it might have cost the country between four and five billion ringgit in losses and this had to changed.

“We will conduct two comprehensive or total enforcement operations just like Op Selamat, but in between festive seasons.

“The operation will see, among others, police increasing their presence in 78 accident-prone areas.”

Rashid said just like Op Selamat, the compound of six offences, especially speeding and crossing double lines, would be at its maximum.

Other offences deemed serious were using mobile phones while driving, cutting queues, driving through red lights and using emergency lanes.

The cops will hold a roundtable talk with other agencies and highway concessionaires to discuss other approaches to reduce the number of accidents in the country.

“In the past, we used the approach of advising road users, but it was not effective in changing the attitude of drivers as the number of accidents is increasing.

“A discussion with other enforcement agencies, such as the Road Transport Department, Land Public Transport Commission and Fire and Rescue Department will be held soon to draft the plans for the operations.”

Op Selamat 9, held in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri this year, has reduced the number of road fatalities for the first time in the last five years with 299 deaths this year compared with 330 last year.

Rashid said with the operations, it was hoped that the numbers would keep decreasing in the future.