File photo for illustration purposes
KUALA LUMPUR: The increasing number of deaths caused by drunk driving recently has prompted calls for stricter laws and heavier punishments against transgressors.
Currently, death caused by individuals driving under the influence of alcohol is charged under the Road Transport Act 1987, which carries a maximum jail term of 10 years and a fine up to RM20,000.
Criminology expert Datuk Shahul Hamid Abd Rahim said such irresponsible behaviour by drunk drivers warrants for drastic measures to be taken against offenders, as the existing law did not seem to be effective.
“There are drivers who violated the law even during the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO). We should not give a second chance to these offenders,” he told Bernama.
Shahul Hamid welcomed the government’s proposal to amend the Road Transport Act on laws related to driving under the influence, and urged for it to be expedited.
Meanwhile, a senior lecturer from the International Islamic University Malaysia’s (IIUM) Sociology and Anthropology Department, Dr Noor Azlan Mohd Noor, proposed for ad hoc punishments to be meted out against offenders while waiting for the existing laws to be amended.
“There is a possibility that many more will become victims to drunk drivers, as such, before a stricter Act is implemented, authorities should take appropriate action against the perpetrators,” he said.
Noor Azlan also called for a fair and impartial mandatory penalty to be imposed against individuals who committed the offence to serve as a deterrent to others.
He said awareness over the matter should also be given to new drivers when obtaining their driver’s licence.
According to police statistics, a total of 637 deaths were caused by road crashes involving intoxicated drivers from 2014 to 2018.
On Tuesday, the media reported that a briefing session would be held at the Transport Ministry with the Road Transport Department on June 1 to look into and review all proposals regarding amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987.
On May 3, a police personnel manning a Covid-19 roadblock at the Kajang South toll plaza along the Kajang-Seremban Expressway (Lekas) was ploughed to death by a four-wheel-drive vehicle driven by a drunk man.
On May 23, a man driving a four-wheel-drive was charged with ramming into hawker stalls and bystanders in Pekan, and early investigations revealed that the suspect was intoxicated during the incident.
On Tuesday, a man died after his car was crashed into by another car being driven against traffic at Jalan Pintasan Kuantan, Pahang, with the driver of the second car believed to be intoxicated during the incident. — Bernama