DPS to be fine-tuned to include drink-driving, tailgating offences
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: There has been a drop in the number of road accidents and fatalities in the last two months of this year (compared to the same period last year) after the initial trial stage of the Demerit Points System (DPS) was introduced early May 2012, Awg Hj Khalid bin Hj Mustapa, Director of Land Transport Department, said, Borneo Bulletin reported.
Road accidents totalled 508 cases in May and June compared to 599 cases in the same period last year while road fatalities have also reduced to three cases in May and June 2012 compared to four cases in the same period last year.
“The main cause of road accidents in the country is the drivers themselves. In tackling this, the Ministry of Communications through the Land Transport Department (LTD) has introduced several steps to ensure drivers are more disciplined and careful through defensive driving methods assimilated at the driving schools and also through the introduction of DPS.
“These two could assist in establishing a safe driving environment,” Awg Hj Khalid added at a media briefing yesterday to highlight the implementation of the DPS.
“It has shown a positive impact since it was launched. The introduction of the system is not a punishment but corrective measure as it could reduce the number of accidents in the country,” he added.
Awg Hj Khalid also revealed that there has been a reduction of about 12 per cent in the number of road accidents in the first six months of this year as 1,551 cases were reported compared to 1,772 cases in the same period in 2011.
However, the number of fatalities has reached 17 from January-June 2012 compared to 16 in the same period last year.
“This shows that many drivers still flout traffic rules and regulations like speeding and jumping the red light.”
Meanwhile, the Minister of Communications, Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Awg Hj Abdullah bin Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar said the DPS is introduced so that the level of driving is high among the drivers.
“Through the system, we want to improve the level of driving and discipline. The public have welcomed the system and hope that their knowledge would be further enhanced.
“As we are aware, the trial system was launched on May 3, 2012 and involves three phases. It takes six months for the drivers to get familiarised to the system. The first phase is to analyse its implementation which involves the use of personal digital assistance (PDA) for the police and Land Transport Department personnel.
“The second phase is to install several monitoring systems such as CCTV, fixed speed camera and traffic red light camera. We might look back at the legislation and look at the Demerit Points System. Serious offences would receive higher points while minor offences would receive lower points. But we might review before it becomes a full-fledged system scheduled to be fully implemented in the second half of next year. The third phase involves the implementation in all the four districts,” the minister further said.
Meanwhile Awg Hj Khalid added that for the month of May, June and July, the number of compound cases stood at 464, out of which 140 have been settled and 36 warning notices have been issued to drivers who received 50 per cent demerit points.
Among the common types of offences recorded were speeding (168 cases from May to July) and jumping the red light (75 cases). However, there are still areas to be improved in the system like regulations, coordination of data amongst the police and LTD as well as the management of warning notices to the drivers slapped with demerit points.
Since the trial system kick-started in early May this year, road shows have been held including at several schools, courses have been organised for enforcement officers delivered by an expert from Singapore Traffic Police, a page on DPS in the Brunei Darussalam Road Safety Council website was launched and a bilingual guideline book, PDAs were presented to enforcement agencies, information on DPS was disseminated through the mass media and an exhibition was held during Brunei Shell Joint Venture on Road Safety 2012, as well as operations and road traffic inspections by the police or LTD either alone or jointly.
Asked on further steps to be undertaken, Awg Hj Khalid said it would include improving the content of the guideline book such as the need to review the demerit points. “For instance, to change the points of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol from the present 18 to 24 points as we see it as a serious offence, to add more offences such as to include offences like dropping passengers at prohibited areas, to include tailgating as an offence and damaging government property through careless driving. These would be discussed with the relevant authorities.”
He also underlined other awareness programmes that are lined up including briefing new drivers who have completed their driving test including commercial vehicle drivers and public transportation, to do a publicity video to be shown at LTD and agencies that are dealing with the public, to distribute the guideline book to government vehicle drivers, to publish posters for government ministries and leaflets to LTD customers and to have the DPS in school curriculum.
Also present at the media briefing were the Commissioner of Police, Pehin Orang Kaya Pendikar Alam Dato Paduka Seri Awg Hj Hasrin bin Dato Paduka Hj Sabtu; Acting Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Communications, Awg Hj Idris bin Hj Md Ali; and Snr Supt Awg Azahari bin Hj Awg Besar from the Traffic Control and Investigation Department.