Government wants to raise traffic fines to RM2,000

Operating a vehicle without a licence may soon result in jail time for offenders. — File pic

KUALA LUMPUR, June 25 — A hefty fine of up to RM2,000 awaits traffic offenders including for beating the red light, when amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987 are approved.

The Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2012 was tabled today at the Dewan Rakyat for the first reading by Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abd Rahim Bakri.

An amendment to subsection 79(2) was also sought to set the minimum penalty at RM300 and maximum at RM2,000 for motorists or pedestrians who ignore an order or traffic signal by a uniformed policeman or warden on traffic duty. The original act provides for an offender to be fined not more than RM500.

An amendment to subsection 26(2) of the bill is aimed at setting the minimum penalty for driving without a licence at RM300 and increasing the maximum from RM1,000 to RM2,000 and offenders liable to a jail term not exceeding three months, or both.

The proposed fine for speeding, under subsection 40(1) is RM2,000, from the original penalty of not more than RM1,000.

The Bill also included a new definition for an electric bicycle — “[vehicles] which cycles with pedal assistance equipped with an auxiliary electric motor at a maximum continuous rated power of 0.25kW, of which the output is progressively reduced and finally cut off as the vehicle reaches a speed of 25km/h or sooner if the cyclist stops pedalling”.

A new section, 76A, has also been inserted in the Bill, which gives road users the liberty to make a left turn at the traffic junction provided it was safe to do so. — Bernama