SHAH ALAM, July 27 — It is not financially feasible to install street lighting on every road in the country, as human negligence remains the leading cause of road accidents, says Works Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.
Responding to Senator Thiagarajah Rajagopal’s supplementary query on improving lighting along motorcycle lanes, he said the government must prioritise its resources and that vehicles are already equipped with lights.
“We cannot install lights along every road in Malaysia because the government simply does not have enough money.
“Cars have lights, motorcycles have lights. When it is dark; motorists should switch them on,” Ahmad said during the question-and-answer session in the Dewan Negara.
While road lighting projects will continue where necessary through various agencies, including local authorities and the Rural and Regional Development Ministry, he emphasised that it was not practical to light every road nationwide.
Citing data from the Malaysia Institute of Road Safety Research, Ahmad said 80.6 per cent of road accidents are caused by human negligence when compared with 13.2 per cent due to road conditions, and 6.2 per cent due to vehicle conditions.
“The biggest cause of road accidents is still human negligence, not road lighting,” he said.
Ahmad noted that three accidents involving motorcyclists sheltering under highway bridges during rain were recorded between 2022 and June 2026, resulting in six deaths.
The latest incident occurred on June 25, when a car skidded and crashed into two motorcycles parked beneath a flyover to take shelter from the rain, killing one rider.
To prevent similar incidents, he said the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) has directed all highway concessionaires to inspect such locations and install ‘Dilarang Berhenti’ (No Stopping) warning signs where riders frequently stop illegally beneath bridges.
Similarly, LLM completed 218 motorcycle shelters between 2023 and 2025, bringing the total number of shelters along highways nationwide to 571.
An additional 18 shelters are planned for development this year.
“These initiatives are aimed at improving the comfort and safety of motorcyclists while reducing the risk of accidents on highways,” Ahmad said.
LLM determines locations for new motorcycle shelters based on two main criteria such as adequate highway reserve land and sufficient space to provide safe entry and exit access for riders.
Sites beneath flyovers are only considered if they meet these safety requirements.
He said that LLM requires highway concessionaires to appoint independent road safety auditors to carry out Stage Five Operational Road Safety Audits every five years to identify high-risk locations and implement mitigation measures to reduce accident risks.
“Through these audits, high-risk locations can be identified, allowing concessionaires to implement mitigation measures and improvements to reduce the risk of accidents,” said Ahmad.
