Staying safer on the balik kampung drive
You are about to drive back to your hometown on roads that get busier every festive season.
Balik kampung travel carries a higher accident risk. Heavier traffic, longer drives and more tired drivers share the same roads at once. Police run festive enforcement operations for this reason.
What the festive-season numbers show
Fatal accidents fell 41 percent during the 2025 Hari Raya enforcement operation, compared with the year before.[1] That drop is credited to more patrols. It also shows how high the risk is in these weeks without that effort.
Motorcyclists make up a large share of the toll. 72 of 113 road deaths over the first six days of the 2022 Hari Raya period were riders or pillion passengers.[2]
What reduces your risk on the drive
Fatigue builds gradually on a long, familiar drive, and a driver often notices too late. Plan rest stops on a schedule instead of waiting until you feel tired.
Leaving earlier or later than the peak traffic also helps, where your schedule allows. You spend fewer hours in the most congested conditions.
Motorcyclists face more exposure
The same fatigue and traffic apply if you ride. A rider has far less protection if something goes wrong. Lane discipline and following distance matter more than for a car driver.
If something does happen on the road
Safety comes first, then evidence, then a police report, covered in what to do after a road accident. If the accident was fatal, claiming after a fatal road accident explains what a grieving family faces next.
If a claim follows
Making a road accident claim explains how a claim works. If you were hurt far from home, an independent lawyer can take on the claim for you. Send the accident date, where it happened, whether anyone was injured (yes/no) and the police report status.
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
Common questions
Is balik kampung travel genuinely more dangerous, or does it just feel that way?
Both are true. Traffic volume genuinely rises during festive periods, and enforcement operations such as Ops Selamat exist specifically because the accident risk rises with it, not simply because the roads feel busier.
What should I actually do differently, beyond driving carefully?
Build in rest stops before you feel tired rather than after, since fatigue builds gradually and is easy to underestimate on a long, familiar route. Leaving earlier to avoid peak congestion hours also reduces time spent in the most crowded conditions.
Are motorcyclists really at higher risk during these periods?
Yes, motorcyclists made up a large share of festive road deaths in past years, reflecting both higher motorcycle traffic and the greater vulnerability riders face compared with someone inside a car.
If I am involved in an accident during the festive rush, does anything change about what I should do?
The core steps stay the same: safety, evidence, a police report and medical attention. Busier roads and stretched emergency services during peak periods simply make doing these steps promptly even more worthwhile.
Sources
- The Star, Ops Selamat 24 results (accessed 2026-09-22)
- paultan.org, Raya road death report (accessed 2026-09-22)
Need a lawyer to handle your injury claim?
For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.