Unfit Vehicles Contribute To Increase In Number Of Accidents

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- Cars that don't comply with safety regulations are the biggest contributors to the rise in road accident rates.
Puspakom's Chief Executive Officer Salamat Wahit said ever since some financial institutions set a prerequisite that private vehicles can only be financed after being inspected by Puspakom, many vehicles were found to have compromised the safety aspects.
"This problem is at a worrisome level. In the first 10 months of the year, Puspakom identified almost 3,000 from 300,000 private vehicles with problems like vehicles that had been cut and joined back, and engine and chassis numbers tampered with," he told reporters after the Driving and Vehicle Safety for Women Seminar officiated by Women, Family and Community Development Deputy Minister Datuk G. Palanivel, here.
"Based on Puspakom's experience in inspecting commercial vehicles, the accident rate involving heavy vehicles went down by 19 percent when the safety elements in the vehicles were given emphasis," he said.
Salamat also pointed out that there are now almost five million registered private vehicles that has not gone through Puspakom's inspection.