Teenagers between the ages of 16 and 20 account for the highest number of fatalities among Malaysians involved in road accidents in 2008.

The said accident statistics over the last three years from the police revealed that the number of fatalities involving teenagers were consistently the highest among Malaysians between 2006 and 2008.

A total of 889 teenagers lost their lives on the road in 2006, 748 were killed in 2007 and 911 fatalities were recorded in 2008.

Malaysians in this age group also accounted for the highest number of serious injuries with 1,884 cases in 2006, 1,771 cases in 2007, and 1,660 cases in 2008.  A total of 4,292, 3,744, and 3,454 teenagers were slightly injured in road accidents in 2006, 2007 and 2008 respectively.

The number of cases is extremely alarming and calls for an immediate review of the safety measures currently in place and the various initiatives being undertaken for the safety of young road users.

Most fatalities and injuries were sustained on motorcycles where the teenagers were either riding or were pillion riders. This was followed by car collisions.

While there are traffic regulations in place in the interest and for the safety of all road users, and continued enforcement by the authorities, the less desirable attitude of some teenage road users were directly responsible for the increasing loss of lives and serious injuries on the road.

Everyday examples of teenagers taking road safety for granted can be seen by the number of those who ride a motorcycle without a helmet or do not properly fasten their helmet – abd individuals who ride and drive dangerously completely apparently oblivious of the importance of road safety awareness.

In some instances, parents are also to be blamed for allowing underage or unlicensed teenagers to take to the roads on motorcycles and in cars, not only endangering the lives of their children but also that of other road users.

I would like to remind parents that while teenagers may demonstrate the skill and ability to ride a motorcycle or drive a car, the absence of formal training and going through the process of obtaining a driver’s license means they are not fully aware of traffic regulations.

And this is where the real danger lies. Not only are they exposed to greater dangers on the road, but they also pose a threat to other innocent road users.

The writer is director-general, Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).