The digital ministry has started discussions with the road transport department (JPJ) to develop a legal framework for autonomous vehicles in Malaysia, according to digital minister Gobind Singh Deo, reported Bernama.
The transition towards adopting autonomous vehicles requires early preparation across multiple areas including safety standards, digital infrastructure and data protection, said the minister.
“We’ve already begun discussions with JPJ regarding what we refer to as the autonomous vehicle network. In other countries, we are already seeing driverless vehicles operating. In such scenarios, we need to consider how to develop a legal framework to ensure the ecosystem is appropriate, especially in terms of safety and data protection,” Gobind said.
In March, the transport ministry 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.
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.
In September last year, transport minister Anthony Loke stated that the Malaysian government is considering amending laws to support the digitalisation and development of autonomous vehicles. Loke said at the time that the ministry of transport is prepared to facilitate the development of autonomous vehicles in terms of legislation.
The transport minister said last September that the matter of legislative amendments to support digitalisation and development of autonomous vehicles in Malaysia needs to be examined through examples from other countries which already have a legal framework in place.
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