Law Teik Hua said the crashes – one in May that killed nine members of the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) in Teluk Intan, and the other on Monday that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students in Gerik – should serve as a wake-up call.
Law, the head of Universiti Putra Malaysia’s road safety research centre, said the Land Public Transport Agency (Apad) should expedite the enforcement of mandatory dashcam installations, currently planned for implementation in the first quarter of next year.
He said such a system would help monitor high-risk driving behaviour and serve as critical evidence in crash investigations.
“When drivers know that their actions are being continuously recorded – including their speed, sudden braking, and use of emergency lanes – they tend to drive more cautiously.
“This would be even more effective if the dashcam was integrated with a GPS system and monitored live, by either the operating company or the authorities,” he told FMT.
A preliminary report released yesterday by the special task force investigating the FRU crash said that dashcam installation was not yet compulsory.
However, Apad is in the process of updating its safety guidelines, to be incorporated into the Land Public Transport (Safety Management) Regulations, with mandatory dashcam enforcement expected to begin in the first quarter of 2026.
Law suggested that the government consider a phased rollout, starting with school buses, express buses, and heavy lorries, before expanding the requirement to all categories of public transport.
On concerns over cost, Law said dashcam units capable of recording and supporting monitoring functions were relatively affordable, at between RM200 and RM500 each.
“Compared to the cost of human lives, legal liabilities, and economic losses from road accidents, this is a small investment.
“The government must show political will and genuine commitment to prioritising road user safety,” he said, suggesting that companies that install dashcams and GPS systems in their vehicles be given tax incentives.
With advanced systems installed in all heavy or public transport vehicles, driver and vehicle data could be integrated into enforcement systems, he added.
“A dashcam integrated with GPS monitoring could feed real-time data to the road transport department or Apad, allowing for swift enforcement action in the event of any violations,” he said.