Todt, who will visit Malaysia next week, said in addition to loss of human life, poverty comes from material costs and damages, and a loss of economic capacity and mobilisation.

He said the highest fatalities in Malaysia involved motorcyclists, with a 60% death rate.

These losses have an impact on national economic growth, with the 2016 World Bank report finding that the cost of road collisions is the equivalent to 8% of Malaysia’s gross domestic product (GDP), making it the highest in the region.

In comparison, Laos’ number stood at 5.4%, while in the Philippines, it is 4.1% of its GDP.

“Simple gestures such as wearing seatbelts and helmets, not driving under the influence, and not texting while driving can save lives,” Todt said in a statement today.

Quoting the World Health Organization (WHO), he said Malaysia is among the most vulnerable countries in Southeast Asia, with a road crash fatality rate of 23.6 per 100,000 population.

Todt will be travelling to Southeast Asia for two weeks, where he aims to implement the Global Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 with the aim of halving the number of victims on the road by 2030.

During his visit to Malaysia from April 17 to 19, he will be meeting ministers, the private and public sectors, as well as NGO stakeholders.

Malaysia will be the last leg of his Southeast Asia tour, which includes Thailand, the Philippines and Laos.