90% of accident deaths involve youths; DPM Zahid wants unified safety courses for young motorcyclists

Deputy prime minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi has expressed concern regarding the high number of road accidents involving youth, New Straits Times has reported. The situation called for urgent and coordinated intervention from youth groups, the government and the private sector, the deputy prime minister said.

“On average, 6,000 people die in road accidents each year. Ninety per cent of those who perish are youths. We must prevent this from continuing, as we are losing a vital part of our productive workforce. This must be stopped,” he said.

To that end, Zahid called for proactive measures to be taken by the Malaysian Youth Council and state-level youth councils, including those in the federal territories. In particular, the deputy prime minister called for special courses for young motorcyclists in the areas of road safety and motorcycle maintenance, and noted that Majlis Amanah Rakyat had the capacity to support such efforts.

“In this situation, we must not act in silos. We must work together with ministries, departments, agencies, the private sector and non-governmental organisations,” Zahid said.

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