Academician calls for compulsory dashcams in all Malaysian vehicles
KUCHING (June 11): Dashcams should be mandatory in all vehicles in Malaysia to enhance road safety and support legal proceedings, said Dr Muzaffar Syah Mallow.
In this regard, the Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia's Faculty of Syariah and Law associate professor urged the government to review existing laws, particularly the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333), to introduce new provisions making dashcams mandatory.
'The government can consider requesting vehicle owners in the country to instal dashcam inside their vehicle by themselves or requesting car manufacturers in the country to add a dashcam component to every vehicle which they produce.
'Whatever approach we take, we should never undermine the importance of a dashcam. With so many issues which occur on the road, dashcam footage can serve as vital evidence when needed,' he said in a statement today.
He explained that modern dashcams, now compact and easy to mount, allow drivers to record visuals of any road incidents they encounter.
'Drivers may opt to instal dashcams in their vehicles for liability protection. I f a driver is involved in an accident or is accused of a crime, the lawyer may be able to use the footage from a dashcam as evidence to assist the driver with their legal battle in court,' he said.
Highlighting the risks drivers face—such as accidents, snatch theft, road bullying, and harassment—Muzaffar said recorded visual evidence can assist them in filing police reports, insurance claims, and even in legal cases.
Legally, Dr Muzaffar said dashcam footage qualifies as admissible documentary evidence in court, provided it is relevant, strong, and credible.
He cited Section 3 of the Evidence Act 1950 (Act 56), which states that evidence includes both oral and documentary forms, such as visual recordings.
'This view is based on the case of Chin Seow Noi v PP (1994) 1 SLR 135, where the court said that 'The use of the single word 'includes' in our Section 3 is clearly intended to make the definition of evidence in our Evidence Act an extensive one.'
'The use of the word 'includes' in Section 3 of the Evidence Act 1950 [Act 56] was intended to make the definition of evidence in the section extensive. Meaning, we can use a dashcam footage as evidence.
'As long as the evidence tendered is relevant, strong and credible to our case, it can be accepted by the court,' Muzaffar explained. dashcam Dr Muzaffar Syah Mallow lead
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