01/04/2026
Driving Under Influence (DUI):
Every life lost to drunk driving is preventable.
Justice must go beyond punishment โ it must also restore what families have lost.
๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐จ๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐ณ๐น๐๐ฒ๐ป๐ฐ๐ฒ (๐๐จ๐): ๐ ๐ก๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฒ๐ฏ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฑ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐น๐ผ๐ผ๐ฑ. ๐๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐ง๐ถ๐บ๐ฒ ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ผ๐๐ป๐๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐๐
Every life lost to drunk driving is more than just a tragedy; it is a systemic failure. One preventable death leaves behind grieving families, orphaned children, and a society forced to bear the long-term cost.
In Malaysia, road accidents cost an estimated RM20 billion annually, encompassing hospital treatments, infrastructure damage, and the loss of productive human capital. But beyond the numbers lies a deeper injustice; when a breadwinner is killed, the financial burden often shifts to the family, and ultimately the country.
It is a high time to rethink our approach.
Punishment alone is not enough. While we support stronger deterrence including longer jail terms and even the consideration of the death penalty in the most severe cases, justice must also restore what has been lost to the victimโs family.
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฎ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป (๐ฑ๐ถ๐๐ฎ๐) ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐ฒ๐ ๐ฐ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น.
In Islamic jurisprudence, diyat ensures that when a life is taken due to negligence, the perpetrator bears financial responsibility to the victimโs family. It ensures that the burden of loss does not fall on the innocent.
Importantly, this principle already exists in modern legal systems.
Japan, for example, applies a structured compensation model where families of victims are entitled to damages that reflect the true economic loss of life, which includes the victimโs future income, age, and dependents. If a young professional or a skilled worker is killed, the compensation reflects the lifetime income that the family has lost. This ensures that justice is not just a symbolic, but materially meaningful.
Malaysia must build on this principle by formalising a modern diyat framework that is both just and practical:
โข Mandatory compensation (diyat) to victimsโ families in all fatal DUI cases, reflecting actual economic loss
โข A structured payment system, introducing a mandatory DUI liability coverage in motor insurance, ensuring victims are compensated even if the offender lacks means
โข Continued liability on offenders, including instalment payments, wage deductions, or asset recovery where applicable
โข Risk-based insurance and penalties, where high-risk behaviour such as drunk driving leads to significantly higher premiums and financial consequences
โข A national victim protection fund as a last resort, ensuring no family is left unsupported
At the same time, stronger prevention and accountability must go hand in hand:
โข Dram Shop Laws โ holding establishments legally and financially liable for serving alcohol to visibly intoxicated individuals who later cause fatal accident
โข Alcohol-Free Zones in high-risk or majority-residential areas and increasing sobriety checkpoints within a 5th-kilometer radius of entertainment hubs
โข Preventive technologies โ integrating advanced technology like Mitsubishi Electricโs Alcohol Detection System. This system uses high-precision cameras and sensors to detect a driverโs breath and facial flushing, preventing the vehicle from starting if intoxication is detected.
This is all about shifting the burden back where it belongs; those who cause and enable the harm, not on grieving families and taxpayers.
A just system must do three things: deter, punish, and restore.
We cannot undo the lives lost. But we can ensure that justice is not incomplete.
The question is simple:
Do we continue reacting after tragedies happen? Or do we build a system that truly protects lives and upholds accountability?
Safety. Justice. Responsibility. Malaysians deserves all three.
By: Kluster Ekonomi & Kewangan, JPro
