Woman fined RM700 for allowing underage son to drive her car

SEREMBAN: A woman was fined RM700 by the Traffic Magistrate's Court here for allowing her 10-year-old son to drive her car which later got into an accident, reported Sinar Harian.

Magistrate Marlissa Mohd Fahmy handed down the sentence to the 46-year-old woman after she pleaded guilty to the charge.

She also ordered a seven-day prison sentence in default should the woman fail to pay the fine.

Before passing the sentence, she said the offence committed by the woman was serious.

According to the charge, the woman, as the owner the car, had allowed a 10-year-old boy to drive the vehicle.

The offence was committed on Sept 3, around 9pm on Jalan Arowana 2, Taman Arowana Impian in Seremban.

Earlier, the woman, who was unrepresented, had pleaded for a lenient sentence, saying that she only works as a cleaning worker with a monthly income of RM1,500.

She said her husband is also currently ill, and they have three school-going children.

However, Deputy Public Prosecutor M Pusppa asked for an appropriate sentence to serve as a lesson to the accused, citing public interest.

She said the woman, as the vehicle owner, had been negligent in her responsibility to monitor and supervise her child.

"This is not the first time such a case has occurred in our country, and this act is highly dangerous as the accused had allowed a child to drive the vehicle, and during the incident, the child had also brought along a neighbour's child during the incident.

"Her actions not only endangered her own life but also the lives of others," she said.

The woman paid the fine.

It was reported that during the incident, the boy had driven his parents' car and ended up in an accident with two other vehicles on Jalan Arowana 2, Taman Arowana Impian.