KUALA LUMPUR – The Transport Ministry (MOT) is contemplating the introduction of mandatory defensive driving courses for drivers with traffic offence records or suspended licences as part of its ongoing efforts to improve road safety.
Its minister Anthony Loke explained that the initiative seeks to shift focus from merely passing driving tests to prioritising practical driving skills and accident-avoidance techniques, Bernama reported.
“This is a new approach we want to introduce, either by mandating or encouraging drivers with suspended licences and similar cases to return for defensive driving courses or undergo training on safer and more responsible driving to prevent accidents,” he said.
Loke was responding to a proposal raised by Abdul Latiff Abdul Rahman (PN-Kuala Krai) at the Dewan Rakyat today, which suggested a review of the motorcycle licence training curriculum.
In a related development, Loke also announced that the MOT, in collaboration with the Education Ministry, will implement more targeted interventions for schoolchildren who ride motorcycles. This follows the High-Level Committee Meeting on Road Safety and Congestion held on 20 January.
The MyLESEN B2 programme, which previously offered free training to the B40 group, will now focus on secondary school students to provide formal, structured training aimed at reducing accidents caused by inexperience.
Additionally, the ministry will restructure its free helmet exchange programme to specifically target school-going motorcyclists.
Loke highlighted the MOT’s Safe School Zone initiative, which enforces a 30 km/h speed limit around schools and improves safety infrastructure, such as speed limit signs and traffic-calming road designs.
He noted that motorcyclists accounted for 66.4 per cent of road fatalities last year, with the largest group of victims being those aged 16 to 30. Citing the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), Loke pointed to risky behaviour, insufficient riding skills, and low safety awareness as major contributors to road accidents involving motorcycles. – January 27, 2026