Is Kejara 2.0 set to finally bite?

The restructured traffic demerit system is expected to unify enforcement, improve data management, and deter repeat offenders more effectively.

One grim night, as I was driving back alone in my Land Rover 110 from Upper Perak along the North-South Highway, the conditions became so treacherous that I decided to pull into the next rest stop until the rain eased.

The car’s air-conditioning had failed, the windscreen was misting up, and with rain pouring down, I judged it safer to stop and wait out the storm rather than risk continuing in near-zero visibility.

By then, I had already been on the road for three hours, having left Gerik at 9pm, after visiting two Orang Asli villages. Traffic grew heavier once I joined the PLUS highway at Kuala Kangsar, with a surge of commercial vehicles dominating the lanes.

Driving a 36-year-old Land Rover fitted with off-road tyres rather than highway terrain tyres demands caution. Grip on rain-slicked surfaces is limited, so I kept to the slow lane, maintaining a sedate pace to avoid obstructing faster traffic.

Yet, after two hours on the PLUS highway, I realised I felt safer than expected. The reason was clear: traffic was flowing steadily at the legal 90kph limit for commercial vehicles. Express buses and heavy trailers were disciplined, adhering to their maximum speed. The usual tension of being overtaken at high speed by 54-tonne giants simply evaporated.

This brings me to the larger point: transport minister Loke Siew Fook and his team are visibly improving road safety, beginning with commercial vehicles.

The speeding issue, for now, has been addressed by upgrading the controversial static camera system to a point-to-point method that measures travel time and distance to detect violations.

The Automated Awareness Safety System (Awas) employs artificial intelligence to track travel time, while automatic number plate recognition prevents drivers from gaming the system by lingering at rest stops.

The groundwork for systematic enforcement was laid in June last year, when the tramsport ministry began phasing in speed limiter devices for commercial vehicles.

Another critical issue is overloading. Corrupt practices that allow overloaded trucks to slip through enforcement—often signalled by “stickers”—are a global problem.

Malaysia has countered this with weighbridges, both static and mobile, and by enforcing penalties not only on drivers but also consignors and truck owners. The result? Truck owners now refuse to overload, instead insisting consignors book additional vehicles.

But will these improvements be sustained—or even strengthened?

This leads to the one big question: the failure of the nearly decade-old Sistem Kompetenan Jalan Raya (Kejara) traffic demerit system.

Kejara was fatally flawed. The demerit system would not be triggered if a motorist ignored a summons. Worse, procrastination was even rewarded with periodic discounts of up to 50% on long-overdue summonses.

However, things have changed. Starting this year, summonses issued by the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) will be incorporated into the Kejara system.

The most significant change slated for 2026 is the standardisation of traffic penalties — with PDRM applying the same summons rates as the road transport department (JPJ), ending the confusion of separate schedules.

Discount campaigns have been replaced by a tiered Early Payment Scheme:

• 50% discount for payment within 15 days.
• 33% discount for payment made between 16–30 days.
• Full amount payable after 31 days.
• Blacklisting or court action after 60 days of non-payment.

JPJ remains the system’s administrator, but PDRM summonses are now fully linked to MySikap and MyJPJ. This means unpaid police summonses directly block licence or road tax renewals, as a colleague discovered last month when she was unable to renew her road tax.

In a recent interview, Loke confirmed that JPJ and the transport ministry have been instructed to accelerate system upgrades, vendor appointments, and backend integration to meet the mid-2026 completion timeline. JPJ director-general Aedy Fadly Ramli added that the final review includes legal and regulatory amendments.

The restructured Kejara is expected to unify enforcement, improve data management, and deter repeat offenders more effectively.

With the first phase of the unified Kejara already underway, Malaysia’s road safety progress can be tracked against the Malaysia Road Safety Plan (MRSP) 2022–2030.

Fatality rates remain the ultimate benchmark. As of 2024–2025, deaths per 100,000 population stood at 13.9. The national target is to reduce this to 7.8 by 2030, in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

Another key metric is deaths per 10,000 registered vehicles, which has historically fluctuated between 2.35 and 3.4.

For Kejara to demonstrate real bite, this figure must fall toward the government’s long-term target of 2.0. Achieving this will require refreshed laws for motorcyclists, including stricter lane discipline and prohibitions on lane-splitting.

Ultimately, the success of these reforms depends on the stability and continuity of the transport ministry’s policies. - FMT

Yamin Vong is on Facebook yamin.com.my.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.