The ministry of transport has gazetted the latest amendments to the Motor Vehicle (Construction and Use) Rules under the Transport Act 1987, in order to ensure that national legislation is aligned with advances in technology and supports innovation in the nation’s automotive sector, Bernama has reported.
The amendments were made in 2024 to incorporate technical regulations related to the construction and use of autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles and energy-efficient vehicles, said deputy transport minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah.
For the adoption of smart vehicle technology, including AVs [autonomous vehicles], the ministry, in collaboration with automotive industry players, has conducted a series of AV tests based on the guidelines for testing autonomous driving vehicles on roads developed by the ministry of transport and Futurise,” Hasbi said.
“Through these tests, technical findings, test results, and stakeholder feedback will be thoroughly analysed to ensure that regulatory developments for this technology are comprehensive, and aligned with industry needs,” he continued.
These guidelines were designed to ensure that the testing of autonomous vehicles in Malaysia is conducted safely, and in compliance with existing legislation. “They also outline the technical requirements that must be met, including vehicle component specifications, autonomous vehicle safety systems, and prescribed testing procedures,” Hasbi said.
This development comes after transport minister Anthony Loke said last September that the Malaysian government was considering amending laws to support the digitalisation and development of autonomous vehicles. At the time, the government was taking the initial steps to assess how far this can be implemented before deciding what legislative amendments can be made to support the digitalisation of vehicles.
Malaysia’s first autonomous vehicle test route, the Cyberjaya Malaysia Autonomous Vehicle (MyAV) testing route in Cyberjaya was approved in December 2020, comprised of two routes stretching seven kilometres in total.
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so tesla auto-pilot usable now?
Also, CC based road tax have been irrelevant for donkey years. When will they change that to a fairer form of taxation?