SIBU: A total of 274 motorists in the state were booked for overtaking at double lines last year.
In disclosing this, Sarawak Road Transport Department (JPJ) assistant director (enforcement) Albert Clement said there were 360 similar cases in 2015 and 366 in 2014.
“Overtaking at double lines constitutes an offence under Rules 17B of the Road Traffic Rules 1959, where an offender can be compounded up to a maximum of RM300.
“Additionally, any person who is guilty under the Act shall be fined not exceeding RM2,000 or imprisoned for a term not exceeding six months, or both,” he told The Borneo Post yesterday.
Albert was asked on the number of cases of overtaking at double lines throughout the state last year.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Datuk Amar Dr James Masing hoped that with the Chinese New Year celebration approaching, traffic enforcement would be beefed up to reduce the number of accidents.
Masing said taking traffic offenders immediately to court would help a lot, in view of the federal Transport Ministry’s initiative of taking prompt legal action against motorists caught violating traffic regulations such as using the emergency lane and overtaking at double lines under the nationwide ‘Ops Selamat’ which will be conducted from Jan 21 to Feb 5 this year.
Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai was quoted as telling reporters in Kuala Lumpur recently that road users who abuse emergency lanes or overtake at double lines during Chinese New Year would be charged in court.
Liow also reportedly said that he would not compromise with errant road users, stressing that Ops Selamat would no longer be about issuing compounds.
Albert, meanwhile, said the department would deploy 103 enforcement officers across the state for the Chinese New Year operation.
He added that their patrol and mobile units will be patrolling accident-prone areas.
“Our advice to the public is to be more focused while at the wheel, and avoid using hand phones,” he reminded.