KUALA LUMPUR, July 17 — The Cabinet has agreed in principle to introduce court-ordered compensation for road accident victims under proposed amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987.

In a statement today, the Transport Ministry said the Cabinet approved the proposal on July 15 as part of wider reforms that would make offenders accountable not only through imprisonment, fines or driving disqualification, but also for the impact of their actions on victims and their families.

“The proposal aims to ensure that offenders are not only subjected to penalties such as imprisonment, fines and disqualification from driving, but are also held accountable for the impact of their actions on victims and their families,” the ministry said.

The ministry said compensation would not be fixed automatically or determined administratively by the government. 

Instead, the courts would decide the amount based on the facts and merits of each case, including the seriousness of the offence, the injuries sustained or loss of life, the losses suffered by victims or their next of kin, and the offender’s ability to pay. 

It added that the proposed mechanism would not affect the rights of victims or their families to make insurance claims or pursue civil action through existing legal channels.

The amendments would also strengthen the Road Traffic Offence Demerit Points System (Kejara) to better identify high-risk drivers and repeat offenders. 

Proposed changes include clearer procedures for notifying motorists of demerit points, mechanisms for representations and administrative reviews, and the adjustment or removal of demerit points where an offence is not proven or does not result in a conviction.

The ministry described the compensation proposal and the Kejara reforms as important measures to strengthen justice, accountability and road safety.

It said the new legal framework was intended to provide appropriate redress for victims and their families while ensuring offenders were held responsible for their actions and helping to prevent repeat traffic offences.

Following the Cabinet’s in-principle approval, the ministry will begin drafting amendments to the Road Transport Act. 

It said the proposed changes would undergo further review before returning to the Cabinet for consideration and subsequently being tabled in Parliament.