A study conducted by the Vehicle Theft and Accident Reduction Council (VTREC) found that 70% of road accidents involve motorcycles. However, only 13% of these accidents are caused by the motorcyclists themselves, while 87% are caused by other vehicle drivers.

Of these motorcycle accidents involving other vehicles:

• 67% are caused by private vehicles, and

• 20% are caused by commercial vehicles.

Motorcyclists and pillion riders are the most vulnerable road users. On average, 6,000 road users are killed annually, with 4,200 (70%) being motorcyclists.

According to VTREC Coordinator Ms. Mas Tina Abdul Hamid, statistics show that motorcycle accidents are 12 times more frequent than car accidents.

“Motorcyclists are often blamed when accidents occur, but we have learned that car drivers need to improve their road safety awareness and require education on defensive driving,” she added.

“The annual fatality rate remains alarming. The number of yearly accident-related deaths could fill graves requiring space equivalent to six football fields.”

“On average, one road user is killed every 80 minutes.”

“Human error is the primary cause of road crashes, contributing to eight out of the 10 factors behind traffic accidents,” Mas Tina emphasized.

The vehicle insurance industry recorded 266,716 accident claims in 2024, an 11% decline compared to 299,657 cases in 2023.

Editor’s Note: VTREC data is collected through insurance claims. Thus, it does not cover unreported or unclaimed accidents, meaning the actual accident figures are higher than those reported by authorities.