Govt incurs RM8.6 billion social costs due to road accident deaths last year

The government incurred RM8.6 billion in social costs for 6,706 deaths due to road accidents last year.

Road Transport Department director-general Datuk Seri Ismail Ahmad said 490,000 road accidents were recorded last year.

"The average social cost for a dead victim is RM1.2 million. The total last year is higher than the RM8 billion in 2014 because of the increase in the number of deaths.

"For example, an engineer whose retirement age is 60.. but he died at the age of 40, leaving the government to bear the social cost for the 20 more years of his service," he told reporters after opening the Modern Flashback exhibition at University of Malaya, Bangsar on Saturday.

Ismail said 60 percent of the deaths due to road accidents recorded last year involved motorcyclists and pillion riders.