The credibility of AES

The PAS-backed Kempen Anti-Saman Ekor uncovered that many of the 831 locations where AES cameras would be set up were incredulous, with some of them located in the middle of the sea and jungle.

Lim Sue Goan, Sin Chew Daily

The drawbacks and weaknesses of the Automatic Enforcement System (AES) have been gradually revealed and if the Road Transport Department (RTD) does not make a comprehensive review, the AES might not be able to achieve the desired objectives due to the lack of credibility.

The PAS-backed Kempen Anti-Saman Ekor (Kase) uncovered that many of the 831 locations where AES cameras would be set up were incredulous, with some of them located in the middle of the sea and jungle. Some Internet users teased that these AES cameras were used to capture speeding fish and beasts.

If it is confirmed to be a mistake made by the RTD, it will once again expose the weakness of no proper planning for the AES.

It was reported earlier that among the locations where AES cameras would be installed, five of them were located at 30km/h zones and some with inconspicuous or without a signboard to warn motorists about the cameras. Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha later said that the 831 locations were only a proposal that could still be reviewed. The problem is, who had provided the information for the authority to examine and determine the locations? Was it the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), the contracted companies or the police? The latter should be the one who knows where traffic accident black areas are located.

The AES is a good plan, but it has been continuously questioned, due to a few factors.

The people cannot understand why the AES is handed over to private companies, instead of having a group of experts in the Transport Ministry to manage the system. Without having a clear picture about the content of the contracts, the amount of profit earned, the background and qualification of the private companies are speculated. The credibility of the AES reduces when law enforcement is connected to business.

The accuracy of the AES has also been questioned. Although Miros claimed that the AES system and instruments are complying with the Weights and Measures Act of Malaysia and all authentication procedures are based on the international standard developed by the International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML). However, has it been tested and verified by foreign experts?

The AES execution is inhumane and it is not in line with the concept of people first. Motorists receiving AES summonses could only appeal to courts. The Transport Ministry should have considered that some motorists might be innocent, including those whose vehicle registered numbers are embezzled and those who have sold their cars without changing the owner's name. The RTD can actually handle such appeals immediately and it is not necessary to bring them to courts.

Most crucially, not like other countries where only the rich can afford to drive, most motorists in Malaysia are middle and low-income earners due to the poor public transport infrastructure. The RM300 flat fine of the AES summonses is absolutely politically incorrect.

Since there are so many doubts about the AES, I believe that some motorists will challenge the system in courts, just like some property owners have challenged the Indah Water, and eventually, many people refuse to pay the sewage charges.

Since only 14 AES cameras have been installed so far, the Transport Ministry should immediate conduct a comprehensive review to avoid more mistakes when the system is fully implemented.

The Transport Ministry can actually learn from the experience of other countries. For example, France stresses on both punishment and education to reduce car accident deaths. The country has installed another 1,000 radar speed detectors in highways of different levels and imposed heavier penalties for speeding. At the same time, the country also strictly enforces traffic laws and driving test, improve road infrastructure and release traffic information through electronic display signs.

We can not rely only on a single method or system to reduce road accidents. The AES will not be able to change the outcome, if human factors remain unchanged.