The Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333) has been amended, with the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2026 having been passed in parliament yesterday following the second and third readings of the bill by transport minister Anthony Loke. The bill, which introduces 41 amendments to Act 333, was passed by voice vote in the Dewan Rakyat.
Speaking during the winding-up debate on the bill, he said the changes are aimed at strengthening authorities’ regulatory and enforcement powers. The legislation contains a wide range of provisions covering tougher enforcement measures, micromobility rules, the digitalisation of road transport department services, action against “tonto” informants and enhancements to road safety measures.
The amendments also include the move to increase the maximum compound rate for a number of traffic-related offences from RM300 to RM500, with the enforcement of this new maximum compound rate set to commence on January 1, 2029, and also introduces a new section that criminalises illegal street racing, a move Loke said is aimed at preventing accidents, injuries and deaths. Under the new Section 42A, racing or speed-testing involving two or more motor vehicles on public roads will become a specific offence.
He said the new provision would allow enforcement action to be taken against those engaged in racing or speed-testing on public roads without having to wait for a crash, injury or fatality to occur. “The main purpose of Section 42A is to enable early enforcement action against racing or speed-testing activities on public roads. This amendment closes a loophole in the existing law,” he said.
He stressed that the law was intended to target competitive racing and dangerous speed challenges rather than isolated instances of speeding or overtaking, and said the amendment was necessary given Malaysia’s road safety challenges, in which 6,537 people were killed in road accidents in 2025. Of that number, 4,340 deaths, or 66.4%, involved motorcyclists and their passengers.
At the same time, Loke said the government agreed that illegal racing could not be addressed through punishment alone, and that young people with an interest in motorsports should be provided with legal and safer alternatives, as The Star reports.
He said the transport ministry was open to working with the youth and sports ministry, rural and regional development ministry and housing and local government ministry as well as state governments, local councils and the private sector to explore the development of community race tracks, temporary venues and talent development programmes. “Young people who have an interest and talent in motorsports should be channelled into legal, controlled and safe activities,” he said.
However, he stressed that the provision of race tracks should not be viewed as a licence to race on public roads. “Public roads remain not a racing circuit,” he said, adding that Section 42A would not just apply to motorcycles but to all motor vehicles involved in illegal racing, including ordinary cars, luxury vehicles and high-performance cars, as tragedies involving high-powered vehicles had shown that illegal racing was not confined to “mat rempit” groups.
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Sure too a long time to sort this mess out. Those riding without license should have vehicles confiscated.