Road Safety in Malaysia: Rules, Risks and Enforcement

Every day, roughly 18 lives are lost on Malaysia’s roads. That figure makes the roads one of the country’s most significant causes of unnatural death, and the main reason dedicated laws, cameras and agencies have been deployed to address it.

How many people die on Malaysia’s roads?

The scale of the problem is large. Throughout 2023, Bukit Aman recorded 598,635 road accidents nationwide. The Transport Minister confirmed that 6,443 deaths were recorded for the year — an average approaching 18 deaths a day.

That burden is not shared evenly among the states. Selangor — the state with the most vehicles — recorded the highest number of accidents and deaths, followed by Johor.

State	Total accidents (2023)
Selangor	173,129
Johor	87,370
Kuala Lumpur	72,701

Source: Bukit Aman (Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department), as reported by Malay Mail. Selangor also recorded the highest number of deaths.

The most vulnerable are motorcyclists. For 2023, motorcyclists accounted for roughly two-thirds of all road deaths (around 4,448 fatalities). This is why much of Malaysia’s safety policy focuses specifically on two-wheeled riders.

What are the basic laws: seatbelts, helmets and drink-driving?

The backbone of road safety law is the Road Transport Act 1987. Under it:

• Seatbelts must be worn by drivers and passengers.
• Helmets must be worn by motorcycle riders and pillion passengers.
• Driving while intoxicated is a criminal offence.

All of these are also on the list of offences that carry demerit points under the KEJARA system (discussed below).

Drink-driving law was tightened significantly through the Road Transport (Amendment) Act 2020, which took effect on 23 October 2020. The amendment lowered the permitted alcohol limit and sharply raised the penalties.

The amended alcohol limits:

• Blood: down from 80mg to 50mg per 100ml.
• Breath: down to 22 micrograms per 100ml.
• Urine: down to 67mg per 100ml.

Key penalties under the amended act:

Offence	Reference	Penalty (first offence)
Driving while unable to control the vehicle	Section 45	Fine RM1,000–RM5,000; imprisonment up to 2 years; licence disqualification minimum 2 years
Causing injury through driving under the influence	Section 44	Fine RM30,000–RM50,000; imprisonment 7–10 years; disqualification minimum 7 years
Causing death through driving under the influence	Section 44	Fine RM50,000–RM100,000; imprisonment 10–15 years (mandatory minimum 10 years); disqualification minimum 10 years

Source: Road Transport (Amendment) Act 2020 (Laws of Malaysia Act A1618, gazetted 22 October 2020), Sections 44 and 45.

For the offence of causing death, repeat offences can carry even heavier penalties.

How do AES cameras enforce speed limits?

People cannot be everywhere dangerous at all times — so Malaysia turned to automatic enforcement. The Automated Enforcement System (AES) began operating in September 2012, starting with a small number of cameras at high-risk locations. The original plan at launch was to roll out up to 831 camera locations nationwide in phases — a 2012 plan target, not an operational count. The operational set JPJ published when it fully took over on 1 September 2018 was 45 AwAS cameras (29 for speed and 16 for red lights). JPJ is progressively replacing the old AwAS units with ANPR-technology cameras (JPJ, August 2024).

AES automatically captures two main offences:

1. Driving over the speed limit set at that location.
2. Running a red light at junctions.

The system was later rebranded as AwAS (Automated Awareness Safety System) and placed under JPJ management. Offences recorded by AwAS do not merely carry a compound — they also generate KEJARA demerit points, making the cameras part of a wider enforcement chain.

How does the KEJARA demerit points system work?

Fines alone are easy to forget; losing your licence is not. That is the logic behind KEJARA, the JPJ demerit points system that took effect on 15 April 2017 under the Road Transport (Demerit Points) Rules 2017 (P.U.(A) 110/2017, gazetted 5 April 2017).

How it works:

• Points are only counted when the offender pays a compound or fine for a listed offence — not merely upon receiving a summons.
• Accumulating 20 points can trigger licence suspension.
• The suspension period increases each time: 3–6 months (first time), 6–8 months (second), 8–10 months (third), and 10–12 months (fourth and subsequent).
• The licence is revoked if suspended three times within a five-year period. After that, the offender must reapply for a licence from scratch.

Since 2020, the drink-driving offence has been removed from the KEJARA system because such cases are now tried directly in court rather than settled by compound.

Who drives the country’s road safety policy?

Two main bodies lead the effort, both under the Ministry of Transport:

• MIROS (Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research) — established in 2007 as the knowledge and research hub for road safety. MIROS conducts accident analysis and road safety audits to shape evidence-based intervention programmes. In 2014, it was designated the ASEAN Road Safety Centre.
• JPJ Road Safety Division (formerly known as JKJR) — leads advocacy, education and awareness campaigns, and coordinates efforts with NGOs and the corporate sector.

Both agencies support the Malaysia Road Safety Plan 2022–2030 (PKJRM), aligned with the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030. Its main target is clear: to reduce road deaths by 50 percent by 2030, with the ultimate goal of zero deaths.

What’s next

For road users, three actions cut risk most tangibly: wear a seatbelt or helmet every time, never drive after drinking, and obey the posted speed limit — especially at AES camera locations.

If you receive an AES summons or a traffic compound, check your KEJARA demerit points status via the official JPJ portal or app (MyJPJ) before paying, because it is that payment which triggers the counting of points. For the latest statistics and camera locations, refer to the official websites of the Ministry of Transport, MIROS and JPJ.

Related articles planned: full details of the Road Transport Act 1987, driving licence procedures, and a profile of MIROS as an agency.