Malaysia’s Road Crisis: When Shortcuts Lead To Casualties
As Malaysia barrels toward 2025, the question remains: In this high-stakes game of economic progress, who’s keeping score of the human cost? Like so many aspects of modern Malaysian life, the answer remains stuck in traffic.


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On the North-South Highway, a loose truck tyre became an agent of chaos in the predawn hours of a Tuesday in December.
Seven lives were lost in the ensuing collision—a grim tableau involving a lorry, a trailer, an express bus, and two passenger vehicles.
It was perhaps the most poetic distillation of the nation’s mounting road safety crisis, where the machinery of commerce increasingly collided with civilian life.
The numbers tell their own stark story: 825 accidents involving heavy vehicles in the first 10 months of 2024 alone—roughly three per day, a statistical drumbeat that echoes across the peninsula’s vast network of highways.
These incidents make up part of the 5,364 road fatalities, approaching last year’s toll of 6,024 with two months remaining in the calendar.
When Everyone’s Responsible, No One Is
A disturbing practice has emerged in the commercial transport sector: renting tyres specifically for PUSPAKOM inspections.
This dangerous shortcut, aimed at temporarily meeting compliance requirements, has created a shadow system that undermines the very purpose of safety inspections.
It’s like putting a Band-Aid on a broken leg: these vehicles pass inspection one day and return to dangerous conditions the next.
The latest admission from PUSPAKOM—that it lacks authority to penalize commercial vehicle owners who use rented tyres to pass inspections—adds another layer to Malaysia’s regulatory farce.
This institutional hand-washing echoes a familiar pattern in Malaysian governance: government agencies or private entities define themselves by what they cannot do rather than what they can.
From Pandemic Numbers to Traffic Casualties: A New National Count
As the year draws to a close, even Christmas Day offered little respite.
The Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) reported 1,312 accidents on 25 December alone, resulting in 10 fatalities.
Though this marked a decrease of 443 cases from the previous day, the figures remain sobering—each number representing a life altered or lost during what should have been a festive season.
We’re watching a modern tragedy unfold in slow motion, written in skid marks and twisted metal.
The parallel between pandemic reporting and traffic statistics is striking.
Where once Malaysians gathered around screens for the Ministry of Health’s daily COVID-19 updates, they now receive regular numbers about road casualties—a different kind of public health crisis that shows no signs of abating.
Plates Before Lives?
Transport Minister Anthony Loke, whose tenure has been marked by what critics call a peculiar preoccupation with unique license plate numbers, finds himself at the centre of a growing controversy.
The dissolution of the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) in 2018—during his previous stint as minister—has come to haunt the present.
Its replacement, APAD, operates with neither the teeth nor the independence of its predecessor.
The situation has produced a particular Malaysian form of gallows humour.
“Do we have to wait for the child of a VIP to die in a lorry accident before the minister pays attention?” wrote one social media critic in what passes for political discourse in the digital age.
The comment, sharp as it is, points to a deeper truth about governance and accountability in modern Malaysia.
Sebelum ada SPAD pakai Lembaga apa benda entah. Korang google la sendiri. SPAD ni pun dari 2010+ sampai la dibubarkan oleh Mahathir. Then buat APAD, APAD ni duduk bawah kementerian pengangkutan. Masalahnya menteri sekarang Anthony Loke macam taik.
— fai cinque stelle (@moscawalter) December 27, 2024
Malaysia’s Deadly Dance with Traffic Statistics
Others offer a more nuanced view: it’s not just about enforcement but the consequences of institutional erosion.
APAD lacks the muscle SPAD once had—no independent enforcement personnel or prosecutorial powers – it’s a watchdog without teeth.
As 2024 draws to a close, Malaysia’s road accident statistics—532,125 incidents from January to October—reflect a systemic breakdown in transport safety oversight.
Of these accidents, there were 5,364 fatal incidents, highlighting the significant risk and impact on lives.
The year’s total may surpass 2023’s figure of 598,635, a post-pandemic record that broke the previous high of 567,516 set in 2019.
Takziah buat keluarga mangsa..
— thv⁷⟭⟬ (@ainaizzati__) December 25, 2024
But aku boleh agak tahun 2025 ke atas, masih lagi macam ni.. no tindakan and kes kematian kat highway akan meningkat.
YaAllah, semoga kami dan ahli keluarga kami minta dijauhkan kemalangan begini🤲🏻🤲🏻 https://t.co/ylfyVOMTqE
Endless Cycle of Studies
Yet Malaysia’s response often revolves around forming new committees, commissioning studies, and conducting stakeholder sessions—a bureaucratic cycle prioritising research over concrete action.
To be clear, studies, research, and stakeholder engagement are vital in policy-making.
But they shouldn’t become substitutes for decisive action.
The pattern has become frustratingly familiar:
- Crisis occurs
- Minister announces study
- Committee formed
- Report produced
- Recommendations filed
- Repeat
The real cost of this academic approach to safety isn’t measured in pages of reports—it’s counted in lives lost while waiting for action.
After all, the best study is worthless if its recommendations remain forever on paper.
Kemalangan membabitkan lori di lebuh raya lebih cenderung menyebabkan kematian berbanding kenderaan lain, menurut kajian Institut Penyelidikan Keselamatan Jalan Raya Malaysia (MIROS).
— Media Selangor (@Media_Selangor) December 27, 2024
Keadaan tersebut berlaku berikutan kenderaan berat seperti lori dipandu pada kelajuan lebih… pic.twitter.com/o78SWmCVZf
READ MORE: [Watch] Another Container Lorry Overturns, Cries For Help Heard From Vehicle
READ MORE: Man Intercepts Lorry With Wobbly Tyre – Malaysians Wonder What Is JPJ Doing
READ MORE: Container Crushes Woman In Penang: Heartbreaking Last Words: “Mommy, It Hurts So Much!”
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