21 MORE TRAFFIC OFFENCES
Use of handphone among offences added to system, says Liow
TWENTY-ONE traffic offences, including using handphones while driving, will be added to the demerit point system for errant motorists this year.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the demerit points were now applied only to motorists caught speeding on the AES (Automated Enforcement System) and running red lights.
“We are upgrading the Road Transport Department (RTD) system for this purpose,” he told reporters after launching Yamaha’s 19th Balik Kampung road safety campaign here yesterday.
The demerit point system comes under the Automated Awareness Safety System (Awas) and the Demerit Points System (Kejara).
Awas and Kejara went into effect on April 15 to catch habitual traffic offenders.
Under the system, offenders will not only get demerit points but will also have their licences suspended or cancelled.
Liow said that 77,242 summonses had been issued to offenders from the system’s implementation to yesterday.
From the total, he said, 68,830 summonses were issued for speeding and 8,412 for running red lights.
“This shows the poor attitude of the drivers towards obeying the law,” he said.
Liow said for speeding offences, summonses were issued particularly at Km375.9 of the North-South Expressway-Slim River stretch.
He said the ministry was considering giving incentives for lawabiding drivers under the system.
“(It could be) by giving awards or reducing their insurance premiums,” he said.
Liow said based on police statistics, a total of 20,982 accidents, including 299 fatal cases, were recorded during Hari Raya Aidilfitri last year.
In general, he said, 7,152 deaths were recorded from road accidents last year, compared with 6,706 in 2015.
“The number is too high for a small country like ours. Just imagine: 10 years of these fatal cases could fill a stadium.”
Liow said the accidents had caused an estimated RM9 billion in losses to the country.
He said 3,128 RTD officers had been deployed from June 18 to July 2 for Hari Raya Aidilfitri to check on buses, lorries, motorcycles and cars.
“On the first day (Sunday), 681 summonses and compounds were issued for various offences.”