KUALA LUMPUR: A total of 849 accident cases with a death toll of 36 people was recorded on the East Coast Expressway Phase 2 (LPT2) from Feb 1 to November this year, the Dewan Negara was told tonight.
Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof said the statistics revealed that 664 accidents were caused by human factors such as driving while sleepy, exceeding the gazetted speed limit, negligence and failure to comply with safety requirements.
“Environmental factors such as the intrusion of wild animals or domestic animals and stagnant water registered a total of 113 accident cases while 72 cases are caused by mechanical defects in the vehicles.
“It was found that fatal accidents mostly occurred on straight roads and where the surface of the highway was good and not bumpy,” he said when winding up on the Supply Bill 2016 for his ministry here today.
LPT2 has been fully operational since Jan 31, this year.
Viewing seriously the high rate of accidents on LPT2, Fadillah explained that his ministry had been and would be taking action to reduce the risk of accidents on the highway.
He said among these measures was to improve and restore the surface of the highway and to upgrade the drainage system to prevent water logging and the installation of warning signs at the locations of frequent accidents.
The ministry would cooperate with law enforcement agencies such as the police, Road Transport Department and the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) to monitor and implement law enforcement along the highway, he said. -- Bernama