More than 60 people have died on Malaysia's roads despite a safety blitz ahead of the Lunar New Year this weekend.

Malaysian police said 64 people have been killed in accidents in the four days since the launch of a road safety campaign on Sunday.

The Road Transport Department would review its safety strategies after 55 people were killed in the first three days of the operation, 20 more than in the same period last year.

More killed

Nine more were killed on Wednesday, the state Bernama news agency said.

"It's frustrating. It's sad. Our manpower are operating round the clock," the New Straits Times quoted the department's director general as saying.

"We have put in so much time and money to reduce fatalities," Ahmad Mustapha said.

Malaysia's police traditionally launch crackdowns on traffic offences at holiday periods as people take to the roads to return home.

Malaysia will start celebrating the Lunar New Year this weekend, when some 1.3 million people are expected to travel by road to visit friends and family, and for holidays.