PUTRAJAYA: Commercial vehicle drivers could soon have their eye movements, driving behaviour and even signs of drug or alcohol use monitored through onboard telematics systems, as the government moves towards making the technology mandatory to prevent road accidents.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the systems, announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim under Budget 2027, would allow operators to monitor drivers’ behaviour, including sudden braking, speeding, eye movements and other indicators of unsafe driving.
He said Road Transport Department (RTD)-approved systems also included breath-testing and heart-rate monitoring capabilities aimed at detecting drivers potentially operating vehicles under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
“The system can track a driver’s eye movements, behaviour, how they drive, how often they brake and whether they accelerate.
“All this can be recorded through telematics,” he told a press conference at the Transport Ministry today.
Loke said the initiative was aimed at addressing the underlying causes of road accidents involving commercial vehicles, particularly cases linked to drug-impaired driving.
“We have seen many accidents involving commercial vehicles where drivers were under the influence of drugs. This is something we want to tackle.
“No matter how severe the punishment, it cannot prevent accidents. We want prevention, not just punishment, but to address the root causes,” he said.
However, Loke stressed that the installation of telematics systems was not yet compulsory and that no enforcement action would be taken against operators who had not adopted the technology.
He said the government intended to introduce the requirement progressively from next year, allowing commercial vehicle operators sufficient time to adapt before mandatory installation was enforced.
“It is not mandatory yet. We are starting on a voluntary basis, but ultimately, if we do not make it compulsory, it will not be effective,” he said.
Loke said the ministry had yet to make a final decision on the implementation mechanism or timeline for compulsory installation, stressing that the immediate priority was to encourage adoption rather than impose penalties.
“We are still at the advocacy stage. We do not want to go into enforcement first because everyone will then focus on worrying about enforcement.
“At this point, there is no enforcement because it is not mandatory,” he said.
He said six telematics vendors had received RTD accreditation, with commercial vehicle operators free to select their preferred provider rather than being required to use a government-supplied system.
Separately, he said the government would also introduce health screening vouchers for commercial vehicle drivers in collaboration with the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso), as part of broader efforts to improve driver health and road safety.