A week from today we will all be celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri. It should be a time of joy festivity and togetherness. It's a time for rendang, ketupat and succulent satay.

But ever so often, it becomes a time of great sorrow. The annual balik kampung rush is about to start. Our roads - both the federal trunk roads and the highways - will be filled with vehicles as people rush home to celebrate with their loved ones.

Not all make it home despite the best efforts of the police, transport authorities and highway operators.

In last year's Raya rush, 1,450 crashes were reported each day with an average death rate of 22 per day A total of 303 lives were lost, a big increase from the 217 Ops Selamat deaths in 2014. This was also much higher than the normal average of 1,300 crashes per day with 18 deaths a day nationwide. 

Source: The Star