PETALING JAYA: Road safety and transport experts have welcomed the government’s proposal to impose tougher penalties on motorists caught driving with suspended or revoked licences, saying the move would send a strong deterrent message.
However, they stressed that harsher punishments alone would not solve the problem, urging the authorities to strengthen enforcement, improve inter-agency data sharing and invest in technology and driver rehabilitation.
They were commenting on Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah’s statement in the Dewan Negara that the amendment to Section 32 of the Road Transport Act 1987 was aimed at increasing the existing penalties to encourage compliance with the law and reduce the risk of road accidents.
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Hasbi said the amendment would increase the maximum jail term from one year to three years, while the fine would be raised to between RM3,000 and RM10,000.
Road Safety Marshal Club president K. Balasupramaniam welcomed the proposed amendments, saying stiffer penalties could help deter repeat offenders.
“The increased penalties are good, but adding at least three strokes of the cane would create the added psychological fear of physical punishment, which could be more effective in some cases,” he said.
Balasupramaniam also urged the government to expand corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives to help those in the B40 group obtain driving licences, while stepping up enforcement against unlicensed student motorists.
Malaysian Public Transport Users Association (4PAM) president Ajit Johl described the proposed heavier penalties as timely and necessary, but said they should be backed by stronger detection, prevention and rehabilitation measures.
He said the Road Transport Department (JPJ) and police databases should be fully integrated so officers conducting roadside inspections could immediately determine whether a driver was suspended, disqualified or had a revoked licence.
“Automated number plate recognition technology could also be used more extensively to flag vehicles frequently associated with disqualified drivers during police roadblocks,” he said.
Ajit added that motorists whose licences had been suspended should be required to undergo rehabilitation programmes before their driving privileges are reinstated to better safeguard other road users, including public transport passengers.
Universiti Putra Malaysia Associate Professor Dr Law Teik Hua said stiffer penalties would only be effective if they were accompanied by a higher likelihood of offenders being caught.
“Deterrence depends not only on the severity of the punishment but also on the probability of detection.
“The authorities should therefore conduct more random licence checks at roadblocks, as this would increase the chances of apprehending drivers who continue to drive despite being suspended,” he said.
Law also called for better information sharing among enforcement agencies so licence suspensions could be detected even during unrelated operations and inspections.
Malaysian Land Public Transport Fans chairman Zac Cheong said improving the accessibility and reliability of public transport would give suspended motorists a practical alternative to driving illegally.
“If someone has their licence suspended, they are more likely to switch to public transport if it is convenient and reliable instead of taking the risk of driving illegally.
“The first step is to improve first- and last-mile connectivity so that using public transport becomes almost as convenient as driving,” he said.
