At the time, Bukit Aman Traffic Investigations and Enforcement chief assistant director Superintendent Dr Bakri Zainal Abidin said, “from the PDRM’s perspective, Malaysia currently has no rules or laws against automated driving systems, but these systems do not help drivers keep their full attention on driving – the system can’t even be sure if there is a driver sitting in the vehicle.”
“This will probably cause the driver to pay less attention to the traffic around them, instead spending their time on other distracting things, such as using a mobile phone while driving,” said Bakri, who added that even the United States prohibits the use of autonomous vehicles, despite carmakers and tech companies testing such vehicles in the country (having obtained the necessary permits, of course).
The “autopilot” feature in some cars today is typically a semi-autonomous driving feature that is rated at SAE Level 2, which still requires the driver to pay full attention and prepared to take over when required. Even Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Beta (FSD Beta), despite the marketing, is still only a SAE Level 2 driver support feature.