MALAYSIA recorded 24 deaths from road accidents involving drivers under the influence of alcohol or drugs during the first five months of this year, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said.
He said police recorded 48 accidents involving impaired drivers between 1 January and 31 May, with 24 resulting in fatalities, eight causing serious injuries, nine involving minor injuries and seven resulting only in property damage.
"During the same period, police arrested 912 drivers for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs," he said in a written parliamentary reply published on the Parliament website.
Loke was responding to a question from V Ganabatirau (PH–Klang) seeking the latest statistics from 2023 to 2026 on road accidents and fatalities by vehicle category, as well as the number of cases caused by drivers operating vehicles under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
He said the number of drivers detained for the offence declined to 1,820 last year, compared with 2,468 in 2024 and 3,299 in 2023.
According to police records, there were 77 accidents involving alcohol- or drug-impaired drivers in 2025, including 33 fatal crashes.
In 2024, authorities recorded 92 such accidents, including 45 fatal cases, while 2023 saw 48 accidents with 22 fatalities.
"Last year, 13 people died in alcohol-related accidents, representing 0.2 per cent of the total 6,537 road accident deaths recorded nationwide.
"In 2024, 12 people died out of 6,464 total road fatalities, representing 0.19 per cent, while in 2023, 13 deaths were recorded out of 6,473 fatalities, representing 0.2 per cent. In 2022, 14 deaths were recorded out of 6,080 total fatalities, representing 0.23 per cent," he said.
Meanwhile, Loke said the government was reviewing proposed amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987 that would allow courts to order convicted offenders involved in serious traffic offences to pay compensation to accident victims or their lawful dependants.
He stressed that the proposed amendment would not replace existing civil claims, insurance compensation or other legal remedies available to victims and their families.
"Instead, it aims to establish a specific legal basis that empowers courts, in criminal proceedings involving road traffic offences, to order offenders to pay compensation to victims or their lawful dependants," he said.
The proposed measure forms part of wider efforts to strengthen road safety enforcement and provide additional protection for victims affected by serious traffic offences. - July 9, 2026
