Myanmar: Road fatalities number around 5,000 a year
Source: Asia Insurance Review | Feb 2017
On average, 14 people are killed in traffic accidents across Myanmar every day, which means that road fatalities number around 5,000 a year, according to traffic police data.
To improve road safety and to halve the fatality rate by 2020, Myanmar has made the wearing of seat belts compulsory since 1 January, according to local media reports.
Drunk driving, unbuckled seatbelts, the use of phones while driving, and motorcyclists who ride without helmets, are cited as the main reasons for the surge in road accidents in the country in recent years. The number of people killed in motor accidents stood at 3,721 in 2013 and rose to 4,420 in 2015.
In addition, with vehicle import rules relaxed in 2011, there has been a big increase in the number of vehicles in the country. The government has also estimated that 1.5 million people drive cars or ride motorcycles without a licence. According to the government, only 5% of the country’s 600,000 drivers have some form of insurance.