Deadliest stretch in Johor claims 36 lives every year
JOHOR BARU: The Batu Pahat-Ayer Hitam road, which records more than 1,000 accidents and 36 deaths every year since 2006, has been identified as the deadliest stretch of road in the country.
The Works Ministry has now made it one of its priority projects to upgrade the safety of the road.
Works Minister Datuk Shaziman Abu Mansor said: “The planned upgrading includes building guardrails and safety mechanisms like U-turns.”
“The project is expected to cost about RM50mil. We will contact the Finance Ministry to seek an allocation,” he said, adding that he hoped the project could start as soon as possible.
Shaziman said accidents tended to occur on the 30km stretch of the Batu Pahat-Ayer Hitam road due to the lack of a proper safety system to prevent road users from making illegal and sudden turnings, and high-speed driving by those who had just exited the North-South Expressway.
“This year alone, there have been 366 recorded accidents, including seven deaths, on that road.
“The ministry wants to emphasise on road safety to ensure the comfort and security of road users,” he told reporters after attending a briefing by the Johor Works Department on road safety conditions in the state here yesterday.
Shaziman said the ministry has also set a target of reducing by half the number of accidents due to factors over road structures and conditions – from about 10% to less than 5% in three years as it is with developed countries like Britain and the United States.
