Malaysia is known for its beautiful sceneries, delicious food and great people. But unbeknownst to many, Malaysia is also home to some of the most dangerous roads in the world. In fact, we rank third behind Thailand and South Africa in terms of road safety, with a death rate of 23 per 100,000 population. According to statistics by the Ministry of Transport, there were a total of 400,788 accidents on the road in 2017, leading to 6,083 deaths. Those aren’t very convincing numbers.

Today, we urge you to drive safely on the road. But we’re also pointing out the highways where the most accidents are recorded. Here are the 6 most dangerous highways in Malaysia.
 
1. Pan Borneo Highway

As the longest federal highway in Malaysia, stretching from Sarawak to Sabah, the Pan Borneo highway boasts of a total length of 1,503km. However, it’s one of the most notorious highways when it comes to fatal accidents. This can be due to the fact that many of its sections are still in bad shape, with bad roadworks or uneven surfaces which have led to dangerous driving.

2. The Federal Highway

The Federal Highway is one of the most used roads in the Klang Valley, but the long stretch of road is especially popular and a favorite amongst illegal car and motorcycle racers at night. Plus, the volume of cars traveling on it every day is also the reason there are so many more accidents happening throughout the highway. However, we still think that the scariest thing about this highway is the traffic congestion!

3. North-South Expressway

As the main highway connecting the entire peninsular, the North-South Expressway has seen an increase in vehicles, especially during festive seasons. The specific stretch between Rawang and Simpang Pulai recorded the highest increase in road users with an increase of between 127 and 145 percent. But with so many vehicles plying through the road, it’s no surprise that there are plenty of accidents to go with it. 2015’s Ops Selamat 7, which covered the peak 15-day travel period during Hari Raya Aidilfitri, saw a record-breaking 20,458 cases of road accidents nationwide, resulting in an astounding 330 deaths, statistics which shocked the motoring public, and baffled police. It was the highest death toll in the Ops’ 21-year history, one which averaged 22 fatalities a day, 60% of which were motorcyclists.

4. Karak Highway

The Karak Highway is well known as being one of the most haunted highways in Malaysia, and for good reason. This spiraling highway is responsible for two of the worst road accidents in Malaysia; the 1990 Genting Sempah Tunnel in Gombak leading to 17 people dead, and the 2013 Genting Highlands bus accident leaving 37 people dead. There have also been plenty of landslide incidents that have caused massive traffic jams over the past few years. This is truly one of the more dangerous highways in Malaysia that should be driven with more caution.

5. Simpang Pulai-Kuala Berang Highway

The Simpang Pulai-Kuala Berang Highway connects a total of 4 states in Peninsular Malaysia, namely, Perak, Pahang, Kelantan and Terengganu. It’s infamous for its many sharp corners and sleep slopes, especially on the way to the popular tourist destination; Cameron Highlands. This makes for difficult manoeuvres for drivers, as they have to press on the accelerator to get past the slopes. Back in 2010, 25 Thai tourists lost their lives when the driver of the double-decker bus they were travelling in lost control of the vehicle and crashed through the divider before overturning.The

6. The Lipis-Merapoh Highway

This road is most infamously known for the terrible 2003 bus accident which killed 14 people near the Pahang-Kelantan border. While it was attributed to human error of the two drivers, there have been many more accidents along this road, making it one of the roads that is monitored closely by the police.

What do you think about these few highways in Malaysia? Have you been on any of them? Leave a comment below!