Transport Minister, Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai announced that the Transport Ministry has received overwhelming response following its call for public suggestions leading up to the widened enforcement of Automated Enforcement System (AES) cameras and the return of the Demerit Points System (Kejara).
Having welcomed suggestions from the public back in January 2016, Liow claimed that there has been a lot of positive input from road users. Several have put in recommendations for new AES locations, others general improvement plans for the system.
According to The Star, Liow also reminded the public that it has up to March 31 (2016) to submit ideas to the ministry to help it improve the two law enforcement systems.
Saying that the implementation of the AES and Kejara systems were not plainly to punish drivers, Liow stands firm on the two-pronged approach being there to save them. According to a recent study by the Road Transport Department’s (JPJ), nine out of 10 motorists said that they would comply with traffic laws if cameras were in place.
“Some 90% of the road users will comply with the speed limits on stretches with traffic cameras, compared to just 60% on roads without the monitoring system. It will be very effective in reducing accident and death rates if the cameras are installed at accident-prone areas,” said Liow.
The minister revealed that in 2015 alone, 6,706 road users were killed in a total of 489,606 recorded road accidents. The figures show a rising trend when compared to 2014’s toll of 6,674 killed in 476,196 accidents.
Worryingly, this amounts to an average of 18 deaths per day in 2015 and a road accident for every minute of the day. “We want to make roads safer for all but enforcement and punishment alone cannot effectively achieve this. It is self-discipline that helps to save lives,” Liow continued.
Do you believe that the widened enforcement of the AES and Kejara systems will help to reduce the death rate on Malaysian roads? Tell us what you think in the comments below.
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