KUCHING: More accidents and deaths were recorded by police during the state-wide ‘Ops Selamat’ held in conjunction with the Chinese New Year celebration this year.
The 10-day operation which started on Jan 18 and will end on Friday (Jan 27) has already registered a 23.3 per cent increase in accident cases.
Sarawak Police Commissioner Datuk Mohd Azman Ahmad Sapri said by the seventh day of the operation (Jan 24), they had recorded a total of 355 accident cases, an increase of 67 cases compared to last year’s ‘Ops Selamat’ figure of 288.
“In terms of fatal accident cases, we have recorded a total of seven cases, which showed an increase of five cases from last year’s figure of two cases.
“Meanwhile, the number of deaths has also increased by five, from two deaths last year to seven deaths this year – three motorists, one rider, one lorry driver and two pedestrians involved in hit-and-runs at Serian and Saratok,” he said.
Among the factors for the increase in accidents throughout the seven-day period of ‘Op Selamat’ this year, was negligence on the part of motorists who failed to keep good control of their vehicles while driving.
He cited among others driving beyond the speed limit and skidding, colliding head-on and rear-ending other vehicles as its consequence.
“In addition, carelessness while overtaking other vehicles in an unsafe condition, was also among the factors of accidents.
“Other factors were road factors such as potholes and sharp turns, and mechanical factors where the vehicles were not well maintained,” he said.
Apart from accidents, police also issued a total of 4,614 traffic summonses to road users for various traffic offences during the operation.
“With that, we advise all road users to always obey the traffic rules and obey the instructions of on-duty enforcement officers throughout this festive season.
“All road users must also take care of themselves and their loved ones’ safety while on the road,” he said.
