From left: to Encik Ammar Anas, Road Safety Activist, YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan, Chairman of VTAREC and YBrs Puan Mas Tina Abdul Hamid, General Manager of VTAREC discussing on road safety during VTAREC’s first podcast
KUALA LUMPUR, 18 August 2026: The Vehicle Theft and Accident Reduction Council of Malaysia (VTAREC) successfully hosted its first podcast, “Bersama Menangani Kemalangan Jalan Raya Terutama Motosikal,” as part of its ongoing commitment to raising public awareness and promoting collective action towards reducing road traffic accidents and motorcycle fatalities in Malaysia.
The session was moderated by YBrs Puan Mas Tina Abdul Hamid, General Manager of VTAREC and featured two distinguished panellists: YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan, Chairman of VTAREC and Encik Ammar Anas, Road Safety Activist. Together, they explored the core challenges surrounding motorcycle safety, focusing on rider behaviour, legal enforcement, infrastructure hazards and the shared responsibility of key stakeholders in creating a safer road environment.
YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan, Chairman of VTAREC sharing his thoughts, views and insights during the VTAREC Podcast
YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan opened the discussion by examining the behavioural root causes behind severe and fatal motorcycle crashes. Pointing out that motorcycles account for nearly 70% of all road fatalities in Malaysia, averaging roughly one fatal crash every hour, the panel questioned why strict laws alone have failed to curb the crisis. YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan highlighted a dangerous mindset among many riders, including a false sense of entitlement as the smallest vehicles on the road, widespread riding without a valid licence or formal training, rushing and a general deficit of personal accountability. Ultimately, he emphasised that lasting safety improvements require looking beyond traditional law enforcement to address rider psychology directly.
YBrs Puan Mas Tina Abdul Hamid, General Manager of VTAREC (on the right) serving as the moderator of the podcast and posing questions related to the podcast topic to the panellists
Building on these behavioural challenges, YBrs Puan Mas Tina Abdul Hamid offered a ground-level perspective from rural communities and palm oil estate regions, where underage motorcycling has become a normalised routine. Driven by economic necessity and long working hours, parents frequently encourage unlicensed children to operate motorcycles to collect younger siblings from school. While this serves as a practical solution for families in areas with limited public transport, it exposes young riders to immense danger. Lacking formal licensing, safety instruction and basic literacy in traffic regulations, these underage riders navigate high-risk environments daily. The speakers evaluated whether stricter enforcement alone can resolve these deep-seated issues or if targeted community interventions and cultural shifts are required to protect vulnerable lives.
Encik Ammar Anas, Road Safety Activist (on the left) as the second panellist sharing his experiences and efforts in raising awareness about road safety during the VTAREC Podcast
The conversation then turned to the often-overlooked role of road infrastructure and environmental conditions in motorcycle safety. Encik Ammar Anas highlighted daily hazards observed during his routine commutes to and from work, detailing physical threats such as potholes, damaged pavement, poorly positioned road furniture and faded lane markings. He emphasised that uneven road surfaces remain the primary mechanical cause of rider accidents, hazards that become exceptionally dangerous at night or during heavy rain when poor visibility conceals sudden drops in the pavement, frequently triggering catastrophic falls that turn fatal when riders fail to wear helmets.
The panel noted that while certain road conditions may technically meet safety standards, subtle defects can still present serious, unexpected risks for two-wheeled vehicles. Stressing the critical impact of road maintenance, YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan cited that technical and infrastructural factors contribute to 30% of motorcycle fatalities, noting that prompt repairs can directly lower crash risks. However, local councils must first be made aware of these compromised conditions. Putting accountability into practice, Encik Ammar Anas shared his proactive reporting routine: whenever he encounters dangerous road flaws, he photographs the site and submits immediate reports through the government’s MyJalan mobile application to prompt swift corrective action from authorities.
From left: YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan, Chairman of VTAREC and YBrs Puan Mas Tina Abdul Hamid, General Manager of VTAREC engaging in a discussion on road safety during VTAREC’s first podcast
Addressing legal mechanisms, the panel stressed that motorcycle safety cannot be resolved through rider behaviour or physical maintenance alone. It demands effective enforcement, good road design, responsive authorities and broad stakeholder collaboration. To strengthen regulatory impact, YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan introduced the “3S” framework which is Severity, Surety and Swiftness as a blueprint for effective traffic enforcement. He advocated for severe consequences for offenders, citing the United Kingdom’s policy where individuals with unpaid traffic fines are restricted from leaving the country until their debts are settled. He noted that while public awareness campaigns foster long-term education, swift action and guaranteed penalties provide immediate deterrence, reshaping road safety culture almost instantly.
Encik Ammar Anas addressed current enforcement gaps, observing that light penalties encourage reckless habits, such as running red lights without fear of immediate consequences. He proposed combining community-driven social pressure such as motorists collectively honking at red-light violators paired with structured safety education across schools, universities and corporate workplaces. Turning to the p-hailing sector, Encik Ammar Anas identified delivery workers as particularly fragile road users. Having personally tried p-hailing to understand their daily realities, he described a dangerous “high risk, low reward” operational model where riders rush and overspeed simply to complete more orders in less time. YBrs Puan Mas Tina Abdul Hamid reinforced this, noting that as primary breadwinners, these riders often become hyper-focused on securing immediate income, pushing severe road risks out of mind.
The panellists discussing on road safety during VTAREC’s first podcast
Addressing technical interventions, YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan pointed out that low-capacity (cc) motorcycles, originally designed for short city trips, are frequently modified to reach unsafe speeds for long-distance travel. He advocated for capping the maximum speed of these vulnerable vehicles, emphasising that speed restrictions can only succeed if supported by efficient, reliable public transit alternatives for long-distance commuters.
As part of the discussion, the panellists were challenged to outline what they would want Malaysia’s policymakers, road authorities and enforcement agencies to witness if taken on a one-day across the country’s road network.
If given the opportunity to escort law enforcement officers for a day, Encik Ammar Anas proposed a field trip to expose critical safety gaps firsthand. He would first lead enforcers to school zones during peak hours to observe hazardous drop-off habits such as parents leaving children in the middle of active traffic lanes or riding motorcycles overloaded with up to four passengers while smoking. Next, he would take them to the Persiaran KLCC corridor to witness p-hailing riders running red lights, speeding and endangering pedestrians at crosswalks. Encik Ammar’s central message to authorities was clear that while Malaysia’s physical infrastructure is modern, it remains functionally unsafe due to unaddressed road conditions.
From left: Encik Ammar Anas, Road Safety Activist, YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan, Chairman of VTAREC and YBrs. Puan Mas Tina Abdul Hamid, General Manager of VTAREC during the “Bersama Menangani Kemalangan Jalan Raya Terutama Motosikal” podcast
For YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan, a similar opportunity would be used to advocate for dedicated budget allocations toward road safety education and expanding exclusive motorcycle lanes. Drawing on his experience as a former enforcement official, he proposed a bold policy reform linking road safety compliance directly to state benefits. Under his framework, traffic offenders accumulating points under the KEJARA demerit system would immediately lose eligibility for public subsidies, such as BUDI95 fuel assistance and SARA welfare programmes, while student offenders would be barred from receiving government scholarships. Drawing a parallel to income tax laws that restrict tax defaulters from international travel, YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan emphasised that tying vital public benefits directly to traffic compliance will create an immediate, unavoidable incentive for safe driving.
Closing the session, the panel offered powerful parting advice centred on empathy, patience and personal responsibility. YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan reminded motorists that public roads are shared spaces requiring mutual respect, stressing that traffic laws are not arbitrary restrictions, but essential safeguards engineered to keep everyone alive and protected. Echoing this sentiment, Encik Ammar Anas urged motorcyclists to resist the temptation to rush, regardless of daily pressures, calling on riders to prioritise their own lives by remaining fully aware of surrounding hazards and remembering that arriving safely matters far more than saving a few seconds.
Through initiatives such as this podcast, VTAREC continues to provide a platform for meaningful dialogue, strengthening public awareness and driving collective efforts to reduce vehicle theft and traffic accidents across Malaysia, particularly motorcycle-related fatalities.
From Left: Encik Muhammad Danial Haziq Mohd Arif Fudin, Executive of VTAREC, Encik Ammar Anas, Road Safety Activist, YBhg Datuk Lokman Jamaan, Chairman of VTAREC, YBrs Puan Mas Tina Abdul Hamid, General Manager of VTAREC and Puan Aisha Fahmy, Executive of VTAREC posing for a group photo following the VTAREC podcast
A group photo following the VTAREC podcast
