Bukit Aman traffic investigation and enforcement department director Yusri Hassan Basri said 473 cases of serious injuries and 1,076 cases of minor injuries were also reported during the same period.

He said the 260 deaths recorded as of Nov 30 this year were also the second highest in a single year.

The highest number of casualties in a year was in 2019 (274),  followed by 2020 (226), 2022 (232), 2021 (230) and 2023 (235).

Yusri said 548 cases of accidents involving buses were recorded in the six-year period, with 153 deaths, 120 serious injuries and 218 minor injuries.

“Police will continue to intensify monitoring and enforcement operations on commercial vehicles, particularly lorries and buses, to try and reduce the number of fatalities,” Bernama quoted him as saying.

He said police have increased cooperation with relevant agencies such as the road transport department, the national anti-drug agency, and toll concession companies for this purpose.

He also called for the owners, management and drivers of transport companies to collaborate to ensure the safety of their vehicles.

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) said its study found that accidents involving lorries on highways were more likely to result in fatalities compared with other types of roads such as federal, state and municipal roads.

“This may be due to the higher speed of vehicles on highways. In addition, lorries with heavy loads, when travelling at higher speeds, create significant momentum if involved in road accidents.

“The same study also shows that the risk of death for other vehicle users, except for buses, is higher when involved in accidents with lorries,” it said in a statement.

Miros reminded vehicle owners to ensure their roadworthiness at all times.