Sarawak recorded 17,847 road accidents between January and October 2025, Transport Minister Dato Sri Lee Kim Shin told the State Legislative Assembly on Tuesday.
Of the total cases, 213 were minor accidents, 110 were classified as serious, and 305 involved fatalities.
“Ensuring road safety requires the collective effort of every individual,” Lee said during his ministerial winding-up speech.
The state also logged 749 accident-related injuries in the same period, comprising 336 fatalities, 154 serious injuries, and 259 minor injuries.
Lee said motorcars made up more than half of all recorded accidents, followed by four-wheel-drive vehicles and motorcycles. Kuching, Sibu, Miri and Bintulu remained the divisions with the highest number of incidents.
The minister said his ministry aims to strengthen partnerships next year with agencies such as JPJ Sarawak, the police and the Education Department to boost road safety awareness among schoolchildren.
He also highlighted the phased enforcement of mandatory Speed Limitation Devices (SLD) for commercial vehicles, which began on Oct 1, 2025. Under the policy, heavy goods vehicles and commercial passenger vehicles must install approved speed limiters capped at 90km/h when renewing or applying for licences. The rule will be extended to pre-2015 vehicles from Jan 1, 2026.
To ease the transition, operators without an SLD installed will be issued a one-year licence until full compliance is achieved.
Lee said the strengthened mandatory seatbelt policy—enforced from July 1, 2025—requires express and tour bus drivers and passengers to buckle up, with offenders facing a RM300 compound. However, due to technical constraints, the rule currently applies only to buses manufactured after Jan 1, 2020 that come factory-fitted with passenger seatbelts.
He added that 183 of Sarawak’s 367 traffic light units have been upgraded to smart systems. The ministry is working with JKR Sarawak and local councils to ensure all traffic lights are modernised and that new smart traffic lights are installed at high-risk junctions.
