
Transport Ministry working to form new safety board
Loke said the proposal, first raised in 2018 during his previous tenure, had not proceeded after he left office but was now being reconsidered.
"For your information, it is indeed being considered at the ministry level. However, to set up a new body or agency, there are many lengthy processes.
"First, we have to prepare a Cabinet paper to obtain policy approval, which requires support from various parties," he said in a reply to a supplementary question from Khairil Nizam Khirudin (PN-Jerantut) during Ministers Question Time.
He said establishing the MTSB would involve creating a new statutory body, setting up an agency, hiring staff, and addressing financial and human resource implications.
"Once we get policy approval from the Cabinet, a working committee will be set up to examine the details before drafting the bill, which must be tabled and passed in Parliament to allow the MTSB to be established in accordance with the law," Loke said.
The establishment of the MTSB was first suggested by the Recommendation Review Panel (RRP) in 2018.
The minister said in 2018 that the MTSB would be able to investigate accidents in a more comprehensive manner.
He said at present, the police investigate the criminal aspects of an accident, while the technical side is handled by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles

Malay Mail
18 hours ago
- Malay Mail
Loke: Transport Ministry weighs creating safety board to probe major road accidents
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 13 — The Ministry of Transport is mulling over the proposal to establish the Malaysian Transportation Safety Board (MTSB), a special body tasked with investigating road accidents in the country, the Dewan Rakyat was told today. Minister Anthony Loke said the proposal follows recommendations made by a special task force set up by the ministry to investigate the fatal accident involving members of the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) in Teluk Intan, as well as a tour bus crash carrying students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) in Gerik, Perak, earlier this year. 'This is currently under consideration at the ministerial level, but establishing a new body or agency is not easy as it involves a long and complex process,' he said in reply to Khairil Nizam Khirudin (PN-Jerantut) who wanted to know about the government's commitment to implementing the task force's recommendations, particularly the establishment of MTSB. Meanwhile, Loke said the ministry would also introduce several initiatives to elevate the status of the driving profession, including training programmes aimed at producing more competent and professional drivers. 'We want to work together to train more professional drivers. The ministry has several planned actions to uplift the status of this profession…we want drivers to be respected and social status to be elevated,' he said. Additionally, Loke highlighted the ongoing issue of a shortage of bus and lorry drivers due to a lack of interest and low wages, and stressed the ministry's efforts to ensure drivers are fairly compensated in line with their working hours, workload, and the risks they face. 'However, we must not assume that just anyone, even those with criminal records or poor driving histories, can be hired as drivers. We are currently working on a database to identify individuals with past offences, especially those involving dangerous driving, so they can be filtered out,' he added. — Bernama


New Straits Times
20 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Transport Ministry working to form new safety board
KUALA LUMPUR: The Transport Ministry is drafting a policy to establish the Malaysian Transport Safety Board (MTSB), its minister Anthony Loke said today in the Dewan Rakyat. Loke said the proposal, first raised in 2018 during his previous tenure, had not proceeded after he left office but was now being reconsidered. "For your information, it is indeed being considered at the ministry level. However, to set up a new body or agency, there are many lengthy processes. "First, we have to prepare a Cabinet paper to obtain policy approval, which requires support from various parties," he said in a reply to a supplementary question from Khairil Nizam Khirudin (PN-Jerantut) during Ministers Question Time. He said establishing the MTSB would involve creating a new statutory body, setting up an agency, hiring staff, and addressing financial and human resource implications. "Once we get policy approval from the Cabinet, a working committee will be set up to examine the details before drafting the bill, which must be tabled and passed in Parliament to allow the MTSB to be established in accordance with the law," Loke said. The establishment of the MTSB was first suggested by the Recommendation Review Panel (RRP) in 2018. The minister said in 2018 that the MTSB would be able to investigate accidents in a more comprehensive manner. He said at present, the police investigate the criminal aspects of an accident, while the technical side is handled by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros).


Malay Mail
a day ago
- Malay Mail
JPJ hopes more B40 students will get a chance to benefit from MyLesen B2 programme
ALOR SETAR, Aug 10 — The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has expressed hope that more school students from the B40 group will join phase two of the MyLesen B2 programme, which allows them to obtain a free motorcycle licence. JPJ director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli said this aligns with the 10,000 new spots under the initiative recently announced by Transport Minister Anthony Loke. '…we are targeting to help more underprivileged secondary school students aged 16 and above obtain their motorcycle licence so that they can ride to school. 'JPJ, the Ministry of Education and state education departments have reviewed several matters to expand the MyLesen B2 programme to the school level,' he told reporters at the handover ceremony of the MyLesen B2 driving licence for Kedah state here today. 'I hope the government will consider JPJ's request to increase the allocation for the MyLesen B2 programme next year, as it has received an overwhelming response,' he said, adding that the programme would also ensure better compliance with road traffic laws. The government allocated 15,000 spots for the free motorcycle licence under phase one of the programme, which began in February. The MyLesen B2 programme is an initiative to help the B40 group obtain a free Class B2 of the Malaysian Driving Licence (LLM), as part of efforts to enhance mobility, employment opportunities, and road safety. Meanwhile, Aedly Fadly said that only the government can decide to lower the minimum age for obtaining a driving licence below 16, adding that thorough preparations and discussions are necessary before it can be introduced. 'Currently, the minimum age to obtain a motorcycle licence is 16 and 17 for a car licence…Lowering the age limit would require thorough preparation at driving institutes, for example, as well as addressing concerns from parents,' he added. — Bernama