PETALING JAYA: The vocational licences of errant drivers involved in road accidents should only be suspended if there are fatalities, says the Malaysia Trucking Federation (MTF).
Its president Datuk Ng Koong Sinn noted that punitive measures will serve as a deterrent to prevent mishaps and help inculcate a sense of responsibility among road users.
“However, we are of the view that suspensions should only be enforced in cases where lives have been lost.
“While JPJ (Road Transport Department) may wish to impose penalties on these offenders, we appeal for these actions to be balanced with compassion.
“In fact, the number who engage in dangerous driving is relatively small compared to the majority of law-abiding drivers.
“Unfortunately, these errant drivers have tarnished the image of the industry with their reckless behaviour.
“In this respect, we support the idea that suspensions should only be lifted once the driver has demonstrated competency through defensive driving training,” Ng said in a statement.
He was responding to the announcement by JPJ that it will suspend the vocational licences of commercial vehicle drivers involved in road accidents until investigations are completed.
Ng said the issuance of driver cards accompanied by JPJ’s inspections and safety audit system, known as Jisa, is a further positive step toward building a comprehensive driver database.
“With this system in place, traceable records of drivers, including accident history, drug and alcohol abuse as well as criminal records, will be readily accessible.
“This will serve as a preventive measure to ensure unscrupulous drivers are not allowed behind the wheel.
“We believe our practices such as managing drivers’ hours of service, enforcing blackout periods from midnight to five in the morning and thorough route planning have helped us address driver fatigue.
“We will continue to encourage our members to adopt this safety culture and work to change the public perception of heavy vehicles,” said Ng.
On July 6, JPJ director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli said that to ensure commercial vehicle drivers are competent, suspended individuals must pass a refresher course before their licences are reactivated or removed from the suspension list.
