Malaysia’s DUI Problem: What Does The Data Say About Drink & Drug Driving?

What we see and what actually happens on the road can be really different.

Credit: Freepik & Malay Mail

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Most people equate driving under the influence (DUI) only with alcohol, and often forget to take drug use into account. But which is much more dangerous?

Unfortunately, Malaysia doesn’t publish a clear, separate breakdown between drink driving and drug driving fatalities. The two are often grouped together under ‘’driving under the influence’’ (DUI).

Here is the data that we have so far:

Based on PDRM’s statistical report between July 2011 and 2021, 69 cases of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs were categorised as the cause of fatal accidents in Malaysia.

What about more recent data? Police statistics also showed that deaths attributed to alcohol-impaired driving constitute a very low percentage, roughly 0.2% in 2023-2024 of total fatal road accidents. It’s less frequent in fatal reports than other causes, such as single-vehicle crashes, which may involve undocumented drug impairment.

In August 2024, 21 out of 276 commercial vehicle drivers tested positive for drugs. This means one in 13 drivers is under the influence of drugs on the road.

There was a study conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) in 2012 that attempted to separate drink and drug driving, but it only covered fatal drivers tested rather than the overall crash population.

The study’s conclusion found that alcohol use detected among fatally injured drivers was 23.3%, followed by drugs at 11%, and 2.3% for both. It is important to note, however, that this data was sourced exclusively from the Department of Forensic Medicine at Kuala Lumpur Hospital, and it falls short of providing a complete and nationally representative picture of the driving under the influence problem.

Despite the study’s limitations, it found that a large portion of fatally injured drivers were under the influence of alcohol below the BAC legal limit stipulated under the law. This may indicate that the current BAC legal limit of 0.08g/100ml is no longer suitable in preventing road traffic death related to alcohol use. The study highlighted the importance of reviewing the legal limit in line with the available scientific evidence, as recommended by the World Health Organisation.

What about motorcyclists?

Motorcyclists dominate Malaysia’s road accident statistics, and this kind of makes sense due to how vulnerable they are on the road.

Motorcyclists account for 60 to 70% of road fatalities, despite motorcycles comprising only half of the country’s registered vehicles. The numbers make alcohol-related accidents look rare.

The majority of fatally injured motorcyclists are riders (89%) rather than pillion passengers. Some common issues which increase their road safety risk include not wearing helmets, not being licensed, and reckless riding.

MIROS Human Factors and Road User Behavioural Centre director Ir Ts Azhar Hamzah said a motorcyclist dies every two hours in Malaysia, a rate that road safety experts say should not be treated as normal any longer.

Azhar said these deaths were preventable if the country took proactive steps in education, training, and behaviour change.

Is there a solution?

At the end of the day, it all boils down to individual and collective responsibility, and not about race. Drug and drunk driving affect everyone on the road, regardless of race or faith.

Alcohol consumption among Malaysians is surprisingly generally pretty low, as more and more people don’t imbibe as much as people think.

However, alcohol drinking, including drug use, is still a significant problem for vulnerable groups.

Existing penalties for causing death while driving under the influence were previously amended. Under Section 44 of the Road Transport Act, those found guilty face 10 to 15 years in prison and fines of RM50,000 to RM100,000. Previously, the jail term was only 3 to 10 years, and the fine was between RM8,000 and RM20,000.

They are also barred from holding a driving license for at least 10 years from the date of conviction.

Repeat offenders can face 15 to 20 years in jail, fines of RM100,000 to RM150,000, and a 20-year driving ban.

However, the latest accident, which claimed the life of Amirul Hafiz Omar, 33, has some individuals asking to increase the punishment. Machang MP Wan Ahmad Fayshal Wan Ahmad Kamal asked for the death penalty to be imposed on drunk drivers who cause death, stating that the current penalties failed to deter offenders.