1.7m M'sian licences to be suspended
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Stern action against blacklisted drivers who failed to settle traffic summonses
Police will take stern action against 1.7 million blacklisted drivers in Malaysia, who failed to settle their traffic summonses under Ops Warta.
Ops Warta is a yearly nationwide operation launched in 2006 to catch vehicle owners who fail to pay up summonses.
Malaysia’s Inspector General of Police Khalid Abu Bakar said he was not satisfied with the recent Ops Selamat (operation to increase road safety and reduce accidents among those travelling back to their hometowns during the festive season) during the Eid celebration period, and he believes the attitude of motorists has not changed.
He announced that the police are working with the Road Transport Department to suspend the licences of blacklisted motorists, starting with motorcyclists and drivers of commercial vehicles. “We will implement total enforcement within this month.
“Those who are blacklisted are advised to settle their summonses as soon as possible,” he told the press after presenting certificates of appreciation to 50 good drivers on Wednesday.
Khalid said the result of 15-day Ops Selamat was not satisfying, as the number of fatal accidents spiked from 228 previously to 258 cases.
“The number of deaths (from accidents) also recorded an increase of 49 cases to 292 cases compared to the previous Ops Selamat where 243 deaths were recorded.
“It shows a more aggressive enforcement action is needed to change the attitude of motorists,” he said.
Fatal accident
At least six foreigners were among 37 people killed when a bus crashed in Malaysia’s worst-ever road accident, officials confirmed yesterday as reports said the vehicle was overloaded and had a history of citations.
The private bus, heading to Genting Highlands, had 53 aboard when it veered off a busy and treacherous mountain road on Wednesday, tumbling into a deep gully and scattering dead and injured on a mountainside.
According to the Health Ministry and police, the dead include 14 Malaysians, two Indians, a Korean, a Nepalese and two Bangladeshis. One of the Bangladeshis also held a Canadian passport.
Health ministry official Jeya Indran Sinnadurai told reporters the rest were yet to be identified.
Sixteen survivors are in hospital, including Malaysian, Indonesian, Bangladeshi and Thai nationals. Jeya said all were expected to survive. “All those who were critical, we have been able to turn around,” he said.
Housing and Urban Wellbeing Minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan was quoted as saying the vehicle’s capacity was 44.
“You do the math,” Rahman told reporters when asked if the bus was overloaded.
The bus plied a route that brings visitors to the mountaintop gambling and entertainment park.
Local media reported the vehicle was on a police “blacklist” due to excessive traffic citations but AFP could not verify the claim. Being put on the list results in banishment from roads unless citations are settled. Survivors said the bus’s brakes appeared to fail before it swerved off the road and down a steep 70-metre hillside.
“It kept picking up speed and everyone was screaming in fear... there was a lorry in front and the bus driver had to swerve to avoid it and lost control,” passenger Suriardi Budiarto was quoted as saying by The Star newspaper. He survived because he was flung clear of the bus.
