AI-powered AWAS speed cameras face delays despite promised June launch; Transport Ministry has yet to confirm trial start date.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 4 — The trials for Malaysia’s new Automated Awareness Safety System (AWAS) have yet to begin, and no official start date has been set, according to information from Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s office, as reported by Berita Harian.

Previously, in March, Ministry of Transport (MOT) Secretary-General Jana Santhiran Muniayan stated that the AWAS trials were expected to begin in June.

While the new AWAS cameras have already been installed nationwide, trial runs will only take place in two locations: the Genting Sempah–Gombak R&R stretch of the KL–Karak Expressway, and the section between Senawang and Simpang Ampat toll plazas on the North-South Expressway.

AWAS is set to replace the older Automated Enforcement System (AES), introducing enhanced imaging equipment and a new method for identifying traffic violations.

Rather than measuring a vehicle’s speed at a single point, AWAS will use a point-to-point system to calculate the time it takes for a vehicle to travel between two checkpoints, based on the designated speed limit. This means drivers will no longer be able to avoid detection simply by slowing down near speed cameras.

For example, if a driver is supposed to take 30 minutes to travel between two toll plazas at a 110km/h speed limit but completes the trip in 20 minutes, AWAS would register this as a speeding violation.

Jana also noted that the new system is capable of detecting attempts to manipulate travel time—such as stopping along the way to avoid triggering a violation. This is made possible by artificial intelligence integrated with the new Ekin Spotter cameras, which are equipped with Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) and can detect speeds of up to 320km/h. — SoyaCincau