PETALING JAYA: Recent amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987 have bolstered the legal framework against illegal street racing and syndicates that undermine enforcement operations, say road safety advocates.
However, they warn that tougher legislation alone will not curb dangerous driving unless backed by rigorous, consistent enforcement on the ground.
Assoc Prof Dr Law Teik Hua, from Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Road Safety Research Centre, described the amendments as a major leap forward, enabling law enforcement to preemptively target illegal racing and speed trials before crashes occur.
“Tougher penalties alone will not deter offenders if they believe they can evade arrest.
“Intelligence-led investigations, surveillance, targeted patrols, and camera-based enforcement are crucial to complement these laws,” he said.
Law added that new provisions penalising the obstruction of enforcement operations will only succeed if agencies strengthen evidence-gathering, intelligence-sharing and inter-agency cooperation.
He said camera-based enforcement could help identify offenders and establish accountability.
“Stronger measures against falsified vehicle identification numbers and documents could prevent offenders from disguising their vehicles or evading prosecution.
“Public awareness initiatives and efforts to provide young people with safer alternatives to illegal racing could complement enforcement measures,” he added.
Law said enforcement agencies would need robust evidence verification procedures and clear processes to identify the parties responsible, particularly when dealing with cases involving registered vehicle owners.
He urged authorities to track key metrics – such as detection rates, convictions, repeat offences and changes in racing trends – alongside injury and fatality statistics to evaluate the true impact of the legal overhaul.
Echoing these concerns, Road Safety Council of Malaysia executive council member Datuk Suret Singh stressed that round-the-clock, technology-driven enforcement must take precedence over periodic physical crackdowns.
The former Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (Miros) chairman questions whether the authorities have set a new key performance indicator (KPI) to improve the “perceived likelihood of traffic offenders being caught”, which currently stood at only 25% to 30% under the Perception of Traffic Offenders Caught, to closer to 90%.
“The real impact would depend on whether motorists saw a tangible change in enforcement on the roads,” he said.
Safer Streets and Sustainable Transport Coalition spokesman Solahuddeen Hibatur Rahman said while the amendments to the Act could strengthen enforcement, safer infrastructure was equally important in preventing dangerous behaviour before it occurs.
“Road safety should be based on the three Es – engineering, education and enforcement.
“The new enforcement powers should go hand in hand with such measures to deliver safer streets for all.
“Safer road design was also crucial to preventing dangerous driving,” he said, citing the Transport Ministry’s Safe School Zone programme as an example of how infrastructure improvements could protect vulnerable road users, particularly children.
He also said narrower lanes, raised pedestrian crossings, medians and other traffic-calming features could naturally prompt motorists to slow down.
