In a significant policy shift in the Government’s approach to the recovery of fines for road traffic offences, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced on 22 October 2025¹ that commencing 1 January 2026, traffic offenders will be given discounts for prompt settlement of their traffic summonses.

A new game

Under the revised structure, traffic offenders who settle their summons: 

1. from the 1^st to 15^th day after the summons date will be given a 50% discount;
2. from the 16^th to 30^th day after the summons date will be given a 33% discount;
3. from the 31^st to 60^th day after the summons date will be required to pay the full amount of the compound for the offence; and
4. from the 61^st day onwards will be subject to court action and may be blacklisted. 

The Transport Minister also announced that the discounts on summonses by the Royal Malaysian Police and the Road Transport Department (JPJ) will be streamlined for a fairer and more consistent approach to enforcement.

The new approach differs significantly from the existing lack of strict enforcement for recovery of fines resulting in a lackadaisical approach by many traffic offenders who deliberately delay payments, sometimes for years, until the law enforcement agencies offer substantial discounts to clear outstanding summonses, an exercise carried out practically every year.

One for the road …

According to Minister of Home Affairs, Datuk Seri Saifuddin Nasution, there is presently RM6.6 billion in outstanding summonses.²

To assist in clearing this massive amount of outstanding summonses, Anthony Loke said that a special compound reduction ranging between 50% to 70% will be given to traffic offenders who settle their outstanding summons from 1 November 2025 to 31 December 2025.

Game Over

The Government’s new approach to collection of fines for traffic offences is a much welcomed and long overdue initiative. It will eliminate the grossly unfair practice where traffic offenders benefit from the delay in settling their traffic summons as compared to offenders who promptly settle their summons.

Come 1 January 2026 it will be game over for the Government’s practice of indirectly rewarding traffic offenders for delaying the settlement of their traffic summons. Like many motorcyclists who go unpunished for riding against traffic or jumping redlights – common scenes in the Klang Valley – the granting of discounts for delayed settlement of summonses breeds a culture of contempt for the law.


Article by Kok Chee Kheong (Consultant) of the Corporate Practice of Skrine.

¹Speed pays off – literally; The Star; 22 October 2025.

² Ibid.