Accidents up in Malaysia s Raya rush this year

PETALING JAYA - More than 15,000 road accidents and 123 deaths were recorded in Malaysia during the Hari Raya travel period in April, according to statistics from Bukit Aman’s Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department.

The total number of road accidents between March 29 and April 6 was 15,246, a 3.8 per cent increase compared with the Hari Raya travel period between April 6 and April 14 in 2024, when the figure was 14,674.

As for the number of deaths related to road accidents, the data showed a 29.3 per cent decline.

A total of 123 people died in road accidents between March 29 and April 6 in 2025 compared with 174 during the travel period in 2024.

For the travel period in 2025, March 29 recorded the highest number of road accidents at 2,040, while the highest number of fatalities – 20 – was on March 30.

The highest number of road accidents during Hari Raya celebrations in 2024 was on April 6 (2,156),while the highest number of deaths was on April 10 (35).

Hari Raya celebrations fell on March 31 in 2025 and April 10 in 2024.

Ops Selamat is a traffic safety operation carried out by the Royal Malaysian Police to ensure safety on all roads in Malaysia during festive seasons such as Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Deepavali, Christmas Day and Chinese New Year.

Statistics showed that during the 2024 operation, which lasted between April 8 and April 13, 8,909 accidents and 111 fatalities were recorded.

For 2025, a total of 9,859 road accidents and 85 fatalities were recorded between March 29 and April 3. This marked a 10.66 per cent increase in the number of accidents and a 23.42 per cent decline in related fatalities.

Road safety expert Law Teik Hua said the drop in road fatalities