He said the police have over 4,500 enforcement officers on duty during the Raya season while PLUS Expressways had taken steps to raise safety awareness and provide travellers with tips on how to plan their journeys.
“The police have made announcements on the media advising people on what to do. Motorists are aware that they need to pull over if they are sleepy, that they need to service their cars and follow road rules, that they should not use their mobile phones.
“But no matter how much the authorities are doing, the situation will not change unless road users change their driving attitudes,” he told FMT.
Yesterday, police corporate communications head Asmawati Ahmad said 8,454 accidents had been recorded nationwide so far, involving 12,078 vehicles.
Selangor recorded the highest number of accidents at 2,518 cases, followed by Johor (1,294) and Kuala Lumpur (1,131).
Lee said the main cause of such accidents was the human factor.
“Motorists still seem impatient to reach their destinations and to drive at high speeds.
“Some of them overeat before starting their journey, causing them to nod off at the wheel. They know they should pull over in such situations, but they continue their journey anyway.”
He acknowledged that road safety awareness had grown over the years as the government and the relevant authorities did their part to educate the people.
“But it will remain pointless if people do not change their attitudes,” he said.
As of noon today, traffic along PLUS highways was reported as smooth and under control.
When contacted, a PLUS Malaysia Bhd spokesman said traffic flow both north and southbound was smooth despite the increase in number of vehicles on the road.
“Traffic is moving smoothly along the PLUS Highway, North-South Expressway Central Link, Malaysia-Singapore Second Link Expressway, Butterworth-Kulim Expressway, Seremban-Port Dickson Expressway and Penang bridge,” she said.
PLUS managing director Azman Ismail previously said about two million cars are expected to hit the road each day during the festive period.