A Study on Animal and Vehicle Collisions in Malaysia Based on News Analysis

Abstract

Little is known about potential dangers which results from animal and vehicle collisions (AVCs) in Malaysia although such cases regularly appear in the news. In the absence of related research in Malaysia, the extent of danger from AVCs remains to be discovered. This study generally aimed to explore the prevalence of AVCs on Malaysian roads. Specifically, it investigates the traffic safety risks for road users; to the determine crash prone areas against the types of animals; and to probe the pattern of animal and vehicle conflicts. The study is based on qualitative analysis from 327 news reports in the Malay dailies from year 2010 to June 2020. For analysis, the related keywords were manually categorised, coded, and later keyed in into the statistical software SPSS v21 for further calculation. The results revealed a total of 439 road users had become victims of AVCs with 159 deaths during the 10-year period. The highest casualties involved collisions with cattles, followed by wildlife, and pets/ stray animals. The study also discovered that motorcyclists were the most vulnerable road users when AVCs is concerned. It is recommended that the relevant authorities to work together to use technology such as microchip tagging and drone/app technology, road safety campaign, and heavier fines; as well as to provide wildlife crossings  and install speed cameras in AVCs prone areas.