The Road Transport Department (JPJ) says it would soon enforce mandatory seatbelt use for all drivers and passengers in private vehicles nationwide.
Director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli declined to give a start date, saying the immediate focus was advocacy through the newly launched “Klik Sebelum Gerak” campaign to build compliance.
The announcement was made at a press conference in Putrajaya on Sept 11.
JPJ said offenders would face fines of up to RM300 under the Motor Vehicles (Seatbelt and Child Restraint System) Rules 1978 (Amendment 2019).
Citing research by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), the department said wearing seatbelts could cut passenger fatality risk by as much as 50 per cent in a crash.
Seatbelts have been compulsory for express and tour buses since July 1, with enforcement initially targeted at buses built from January 2020; older buses were given time to retrofit seatbelts.
JPJ previously said it planned to extend compliance to buses owned by universities and fully residential schools, coordinating checks with state-level teams.
Aedy said the new campaign aimed to normalise belt-wearing for everyone in the car, not just drivers, and that the department would confirm the enforcement date “in due course.”
