Got a summons? Just take your time to pay

 

It’s a pleasure to drive in Malaysia, never mind the traffic jams and road hogs.

If you unwittingly or knowingly commit a minor offence — one that is compoundable — you are almost sure to get a discount on the fine, and a hefty one at that.

However, there is a catch.

You have to refrain from rushing to the police station to pay the fine. Take your time. It does not matter that you’re way past the deadline. More often than not, the cops will come knocking on your door with an offer: “Please pay up. We’ll give you a discount.”

The latest round of such special offers by the police came last week. To mark the Selangor Keluarga Malaysia aspiration tour, traffic offenders were given a 50% discount on the penalty for compoundable offences.

Of course many were quite happy to pay up. As of 4pm on Saturday, 2,392 traffic summonses had been settled at the Shah Alam police headquarters and RM264,790 in compound fines collected, according to district police chief Iqbal Ibrahim.

Of course it did not matter that double that amount could have been collected if the men in blue had not thought up such an irresistible offer.

Malaysians love to offer discounts. Supermarkets do it all the time. Five per cent off this, 10% off that. These businesses must have conducted a study to find the best way to get people to part with their money for items they don’t need, and in which said study reveals that discounts will get shoppers to bite.

The cops are in on the game as well. Of course, for the offender, paying up at some point in time could mean avoiding a higher penalty, such as a night in the lock-up, which would be quite unpleasant.

Perhaps our authorities’ very forgiving attitude could account for Malaysia being among the 10 most dangerous places in the world to drive in.

A May survey by online driver education resource Zutobi revealed that Malaysia ranked number eight in 2022 as the most dangerous place in the world to get behind the wheels. This was an “improvement” from 2021, when we ranked number seven.

We recorded 22.5 traffic lane deaths per 100,000 population, second only to Thailand among Southeast Asian countries. Our northern neighbour scored 32.3.

Ironically, Malaysians in general also face the lowest risk of getting killed by a drunk driver.

According to the Zutobi survey, Malaysia recorded the lowest number of road deaths involving inebriated drivers, with a score of only 1.0. The Mat Rempits are a lot more deadly.

Perhaps slashing fines for minor offences is not so bad after all. In these difficult economic times, a poor guy in a hurry to get to work could unwittingly commit a minor transgression.

Giving him a little slack could mean a lot of difference for him and his family.

Trouble starts when the recalcitrant road user keeps coming back for the “special offer”. Rather than a blanket discount, the police could perhaps take each case on its own merit. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.