Two siblings allegedly racing against each other in luxury cars, causing a multivehicle crash in Johor state that killed five people – including four members of a family – have once again put the spotlight on the “serious public health challenge” facing Malaysia’s roads.
Police arrested a 19-year-old driver of a Mercedes-Benz, identified by local media as a Singapore university student, over Monday’s accident which occurred on a highway linking Kluang to Simpang Renggam in Johor.
Police said a urine test came back negative for drugs.
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The suspect’s brother, a 22-year-old BMW driver, also died in the collision that left several others injured, including two children.
The crash touched a nerve in Malaysia, where fatal road accidents and viral cases of reckless driving involving youngsters in luxury cars regularly fuel public anger over weak enforcement.
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Malaysia’s transport ministry has previously said road crashes kill an average of 18 people a day, describing them as a “serious public health challenge”.