Road Transport Department (JPJ) director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli (pic), who disclosed this, said the drones will be flown over 288 hotspots for accidents and congestion.
“The drones are equipped with cameras capable of zooming in up to 200 times, enabling enforcement officers to clearly identify vehicle registration numbers from a distance.
“Images and video footage captured will be recorded as supporting evidence,” he told reporters after a buka puasa event here on Monday.
Aedy Fadly said the locations included major routes leading to the east coast, south and northern highways across the country.
“The enhanced enforcement approach focuses on the use of modern technology and stricter monitoring of traffic offences in anticipation of a surge in road traffic during the festive season,” he added.
The JPJ chief said motorists committing offences will be issued a Notice to Attend an Interview (Notice 114) under the Road Transport Act 1987.
“They will need to present themselves at a JPJ office for further investigation, with drone footage presented as supporting evidence.
“Currently, drone recordings serve only as supporting evidence and are not used to issue summonses directly, unlike offences captured through the Automated Awareness Safety System (Awas),” he added.
He said aerial surveillance enables officers to monitor traffic movement more comprehensively and detect offences that are difficult to identify through conventional ground monitoring methods.
“All personnel assigned to operate the drones have undergone specialised training and are required to hold valid operating licences before being allowed to handle the equipment.”
Some 3,000 JPJ personnel will be mobilised for the operation, with all department vehicles instructed to conduct patrols along major roads and highways, he added.
“We will also focus on motorists who misuse emergency lanes, which are strictly for emergencies.”
A total of 12,164 emergency lane offences were recorded between 2023 and February of this year, including 689 cases between this January and February.
On another matter, Aedy Fadly said express and tour bus operators must comply immediately with the requirement to install and verify the Speed Limitation Device (SLD).
He said phase one of the directive, which came into force last October, required all express and tour bus operators to get their vehicles fitted with the device and officially verify the installation.
As of March 16, about 12% of the 2,544 active registered express buses have yet to complete the mandatory verification process, he added.
“For tour buses, the non-compliance rate remains significantly higher, with 49% of the 3,371 active vehicles yet to submit verification notification,” he said.
The SLD enforcement programme is being implemented in phases, with the verification stage completed on Oct 1 followed by activation of existing SLD devices by Jan 1.
The final phase requires buses without SLDs to install the devices through retrofitting, with the deadline set for July 1.
