MELAKA: Malaysia recorded 32.3 million motor vehicles as of Dec 31 last year, with an average increase of new vehicles exceeding 1.2 million compared to 2019.
The number of licensed drivers also showed an increase of 2.86 per cent to 15.8 million compared to 15.3 million in 2019.
Meanwhile, Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong said the Road Transport Department's (RTD) collection last year proved to excellent.
The government agency collected RM4.143 billion, despite the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
"The manifestation is that the increase in the total output of drivers and vehicles directly has a huge impact on all matters and transactions related to RTD, involving vehicle licensing, driver licensing or enforcement duties.
"Besides that, the increase in the number of road users gives a hypothesis that is very synonymous with the role of RTD related to education and enforcement of road safety, especially after the Road Safety Department (JKJR) was absorbed into JPJ," he said.
Wee said this to reporters after performing the ground-breaking ceremony of the Driving Test Training Circuit at the Road Transport Department (RTD) Academy at Tiang Dua, near here, today.
On the development of the Driving Test Training Circuit, the Minister said the project, which costs RM2.3 million and is located on two-hectares of land, can be used as a basic, intermediate and advanced training facility to produce more competent teaching professionals as well as testers on par with developed countries such as China, Japan, South Korea and Singapore.