While the number of deaths from Covid-19 has dropped significantly, road casualties have increased alarmingly with up to 11 fatalities recorded a day on average, according to the National Road Safety Committee.

Min Manavy – secretary of state for the Ministry of Public Works and Transport and the committee’s secretary-general – raised her concerns on November 15 during a campaign to educate people on the road traffic law on National Road 6.

“We have fought and overcame Covid-19, but now we have to continue protecting ourselves and tackle traffic accidents. The death toll from this disease has dropped to five or six a day, but the number of deaths due to road accidents on certain days has risen to 11, which is a high figure,” she said.

The campaign was launched before the busy travel period of the Water Festival to educate, raise awareness and disseminate information to ensure safety when vehicle owners use roads.

Manavy called on vehicle users to obey the law, respect the right of way when on roads, wear seat belt when driving and a helmet when riding a motorcycle no matter the distance travelled.

National Police deputy chief Him Yan said that in September and October, the number of traffic accidents increased when the country reopened after Covid-19 had eased.

“Traffic accidents have increased mostly at night and most victims are motorists, making up 77 per cent of the total, and most were not wearing helmets,” he said

Yan noted that the number of vehicles on roads have increased significantly since the reopening. There are currently about two million cars and five to six million motorcycles on the nation’s roads, saying these increased figures also come with many problems.

“The National Road Safety Committee is working hard to enforce the law. We see that the number of traffic accidents had decreased in 2020. In the first nine months of this year, the number of accidents had decreased by 542 cases, or 22 per cent, and the number of deaths and injuries decreased by 199 and 1,074 respectively,” he said.