April 20, 2026
Local
Local
KOTA TINGGI, April 20 — A 71-year-old man has been remanded for seven days until April 26 in connection with a shooting incident in Taman Kota Jaya that left three people dead yesterday.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 — Each year, thousands of motorists are screened on Malaysian roads, with a significant number of drink-driving offences continuing to be detected nationwide.
Although the offence remains a serious safety concern, enforcement data indicates that authorities are actively tackling the issue, and fatalities linked to drink driving make up only a small fraction of overall road deaths.
In recent years, alcohol-related crashes have accounted for less than 0.5 per cent of total fatalities, with figures consistently remaining low.
In absolute terms, fatal cases have stayed within the low double digits, with 13 recorded in 2023 and 12 in 2024.
The trend has continued into 2025. As of June, only two fatal drink-driving accidents were reported, representing just 0.06 per cent of the 3,087 fatal crashes nationwide.
By comparison, while Malaysia recorded over 3,000 road deaths in the first half of 2025 alone, drink driving remained among the least common causes of fatal accidents — a pattern seen in recent years.
Stronger legal framework after 2020
In response, the government tightened its legal stance in October 2020 by amending the Road Transport Act 1987.
The revisions lowered the legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit from 80mg to 50mg per 100ml of blood and introduced tougher penalties.
Fines can now reach up to RM100,000, prison sentences of 10 to 15 years apply in cases involving fatalities, and licence disqualification periods have been extended — up to 20 years for repeat offenders.
Despite some initial criticism when introduced, the amendments significantly strengthened enforcement against drink driving.
Cases brought to court
Beyond fatality figures, enforcement data offers insight into how these offences are handled legally.
From 2021 to September 2024, a total of 149 drink-driving cases involving accidents were brought to court, averaging about 35 to 40 cases annually.
These figures cover incidents involving collisions and do not reflect the total number of offences detected.
More recent data shows a broader caseload, with 1,261 convictions for driving under the influence recorded between January and November 2025, according to the Transport Ministry.
This figure includes offences involving both alcohol and drugs across various provisions of the law.
Ongoing enforcement efforts
Overall, these numbers align with sustained enforcement activity nationwide.
Police regularly conduct roadblocks and targeted operations to detect impaired drivers.
In 2021, more than 1,200 enforcement operations were carried out, screening thousands of motorists and identifying over 2,600 drink-driving offences.
Similar levels of enforcement continued in 2024, with thousands of cases involving impaired driving — including alcohol and drugs — recorded, and hundreds of operations conducted monthly, especially during festive and high-risk periods.
The trend persisted into 2025, with 1,261 convictions recorded between January and November.
Renewed public focus
Recent fatal accidents involving suspected drunk drivers have once again drawn public attention and renewed calls for stricter measures.
While such incidents often spark concern, overall data does not point to a rising trend in drink-driving fatalities.
Although hundreds to over a thousand impaired-driving cases are prosecuted annually, fatalities typically remain around a dozen each year.
Nevertheless, authorities and road safety advocates emphasise that even relatively low fatality numbers do not lessen the danger, as drink driving remains a preventable yet ongoing risk on Malaysian roads.
