The other driver drove off
You are left standing there while the vehicle that hit you disappears down the road.
In Malaysia, what can be done after a hit-and-run depends on one thing: whether the vehicle can later be identified. A genuinely untraced hit-and-run generally has no Motor Insurers’ Bureau remedy.[1]
Why does identification matter so much?
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau is the compensation route for uninsured or absent drivers. It requires the vehicle’s registration number to bring a claim. Without it, there is no insurer or Bureau file to open and no one specific to hold responsible.
The position differs where the driver stayed, or the vehicle is later traced through CCTV, a witness or a partial plate. A hit-and-run situation explained covers both.
What changes if the vehicle is identified later?
If the plate, or enough detail to trace it, turns up later, the case moves closer to any other uninsured or at-fault driver case. Claiming against an uninsured driver explains that route.
A partial plate, a distinctive description or footage from a nearby camera can sometimes help the police trace a vehicle that seemed to have vanished.
What should I do right after it happens?
- Try to note whatever you can: plate number, colour, make, direction of travel.
- Ask anyone nearby if they saw the vehicle or captured it on a phone.
- Report to the police immediately and describe everything you remember.
- Ask about CCTV on nearby buildings, shops or traffic cameras before footage is overwritten.
What if the vehicle is never traced?
There is generally no remedy through the Bureau. Your own comprehensive insurance may still cover your own vehicle’s damage, which is a separate claim.
What should I do next?
Own-damage cover for your vehicle may still apply, and do you need a lawyer explains what remains open.
If a plate, description or footage turns up, an independent lawyer can take up the claim. Send the accident date, where it happened, whether anyone was injured (yes/no), what you remember of the vehicle and the police report status.
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For people seeking legal representation. For general information, please use our guides and tools.
Common questions
Can I still claim if the driver who hit me drove off?
It depends on whether the vehicle can be identified. If a registration number, description or witness leads to identifying the vehicle later, routes such as the Motor Insurers' Bureau may become available. A truly untraced vehicle generally has no such remedy.
Is it true the Bureau covers all hit-and-run cases?
No, and this is a common myth worth correcting. The Bureau's compensation route requires the vehicle to be identified. Genuinely untraced hit-and-run vehicles generally fall outside what it can pay.
What should I do immediately if a driver flees?
Try to note the plate number, colour, make and direction of travel, even partial details. Report to the police immediately and ask whether any nearby CCTV might have captured the vehicle.
What if my own vehicle was damaged and the other driver is never found?
Your own comprehensive insurance, if you hold it, may cover your own vehicle's damage regardless of whether the other driver is ever identified. That is a separate claim from any injury route.
Sources
- AskLegal.my, on the Motor Insurers' Bureau (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.