Govt to focus on road safety outcomes, not just traffic summonses
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia recorded 6,581 road deaths last year, with motorcyclists and pillion riders accounting for the majority of fatalities, highlighting the challenge of reducing deadly accidents despite stricter traffic laws and enforcement.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said preventing road fatalities required more targeted interventions, particularly to address the risks faced by motorcyclists.
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“Based on the Royal Malaysia Police’s 2025 road accident statistics, a total of 6,581 deaths were recorded from road crashes last year.
“Of these, 4,542 deaths involved motorcyclists and pillion riders,” he told the Dewan Rakyat today.
Loke said the challenge extended beyond enforcing traffic laws, with the government needing to ensure that its measures could effectively prevent deaths and serious injuries.
“Based on the current situation, measures to prevent fatal accidents must be intensified to achieve the targets set.
“Our main challenge is not merely the number of traffic offences, but how government interventions can reduce the risk of fatal accidents.
“To achieve this target, the most important intervention is to reduce accidents involving motorcyclists,” he said, referring to the target of reducing road fatalities by 50% by 2030 under the Malaysia Road Safety Plan 2022–2030.
“This requires various approaches, including reviewing road designs, motorcycle lanes and other measures,” he said.
Loke was responding to Pang Hok Liong (PH-Labis), who asked why road fatalities remained high despite amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987 and stronger enforcement.
He said a resolution from a recent road safety congress in Kuala Lumpur would be presented to the Cabinet, proposing specific interventions to reduce motorcycle-related accidents.
The measures would require cooperation with state governments and local authorities to identify high-risk locations and improve road infrastructure.
The ministry would also work with p-hailing platform operators to address safety risks faced by delivery riders, including those transporting food and documents.
Meanwhile, the MyLesen B2 and MyB2S programmes would continue this year, with nearly RM30 million allocated for 80,648 participants. A total of 70,000 helmets meeting safety standards have also been provided since 2025.
Loke said the ministry was also targeting speeding, overloaded commercial vehicles and accident-prone locations through more focused enforcement and preventive measures.
He said the second phase of the road safety plan would place greater emphasis on measuring actual reductions in fatalities and serious injuries, rather than enforcement activity alone.
“Effectiveness will no longer be measured solely by how many operations are conducted or how many summonses are issued.
“Instead, the focus will be on actual outcomes, namely preventing fatal accidents and serious injuries, including assessments by state, type of road user and high-risk location,” he said.