Traffic Offences

Traffic offences in Malaysia is a hot news item when accidents involve many lives. If it’s just the normal count, the usual death by road related accidents and related traffic offences, it just doesn’t make the front pages of newspapers. When it makes the front pages of papers, then the hoo-haa will echoes and suggestions abound. Ways and means are implemented to reduce the volume of road accidents and related traffic offences. The in-thing is to slap heavier and heavier fines, including jail terms, on those involve. (You don’t need to be a criminal to be treated as one and put behind bars because someone dies in the accident related to you).
The aborted plan via Parliament to increase the fines to rm1,000/ traffic offence is most welcome. Be it a case of Prihatin or not, is second matter. I think it’s not too long ago that the fine was increased to rm300/offence. The questions that lingers are: did the previous increase in fines result in decreasing the volume of traffic offences? And, if it does what’s the percentage like? Does the volume of traffic offences directly related to the amount of fines? Or, is it possible that, may be, just may be, most of the traffic offences are related directly or indirectly to other causes such as road systems, congestions, the density of vehicles on the road, lack of parking spaces, the tensions of everyday road havocs caused by diversions/constructions/floods and etc, etc, and such and such other problems that make traffic offences as a matter of a “no choice affair”?
The root causes of the problem should first be identified and then only should the solving initiatives be put in place. May be, again just may be, people would very much prefer to use public transport if it’s efficient, time-saving, and not too costly. And maybe then traffic offences be reduced naturally by volume as less vehicles are on the road (no vehicle no traffic offence, so, less vehicles should result in less traffic offences). Sound logical and just might be possible.
The relief of ‘no increase in fine’ may be short-lived! There are still Departments and Bodies going for second round to fight for increase in fine or the very least to rule out giving of discounts as practice in the past. Yet still, there are Local Governments making efforts to penalized motorists for their inability to collect fees, say non-payment of parking fees of rm1.50, by blocking these offenders from renewing their road-tax, and latter to put them on list of debtors prohibiting them from using international passports to travel overseas.
Just pray hard and hope you are not involve in an accident with any vehicles, whose owners forget to pay rm1.50 parking fees and does find difficulty and been delayed in renewing his/her road-tax, and use the vehicle out of necessity. If, badly enough it happens – you are facing then a vehicle which is not covered with any insurances – just because of rm1.50 parking fees. Where do you go for claims then? AND, for those of us who don’t own a house, but stay in rented premises and involve in shifting houses, be sure to always update your mailing address. Failure to receive these parking summonses will result in you not only unable to renew your road-tax BUT also barred from attending your son or daughter convocation in some foreign land. So, let us ensure a smooth ride in live by not hoping much for prihatin but to pay-up every dollar own to the authorities – although you may argue that you never know such summonses are sent to you. Ignorant is not an excuse!