Malaysia to make seat belts mandatory for all private car drivers and passengers

MALAYSIA: Malaysia will soon require all drivers and passengers in private cars to wear seat belts, the Road Transport Department announced.

The director general of the department, Dato Aedy Fadli Bin Ramli, made the announcement at a press conference, though he did not disclose the exact date when the new rule will come into effect. Instead, he said authorities would first focus on raising public awareness through the “Fasten Before You Go” campaign, launched yesterday.

The campaign aims to strengthen road safety culture and emphasise the need for all drivers and passengers to use seat belts, Dato Aedy said. He added that the date of implementation for the mandatory measure would be announced at a later stage.

Dato Aedy also revealed that since July 1 this year, all drivers and passengers of express buses and tourist buses have already been required to wear seat belts, with enforcement action in place. Those found violating the rule face fines.

At present, enforcement applies only to buses manufactured after January 2020, while buses produced earlier have been granted a grace period to install seat belts.