No grace period for stiffer drink-driving penalties, says Wee

PETALING JAYA: Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong today said there will be no grace period for the imposition of stiffer penalties for drink-driving under the amended Road Transport Act, which will be tabled in the Dewan Negara next week.

“I think we have had enough time to alert and educate the public,” he told a press conference after officiating a drink-driving education campaign today.

“Once we get approval from the senate, I think we don’t want to delay it anymore.”

Wee said the stiffer penalties, including fines and imprisonment, would be sufficient to deter people from committing the offence.

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He said the law was not intended to take away the rights of individuals who wish to consume alcohol.

“You can drink. But once you drink, don’t drive. The message is very simple,” he said.

He also warned against escaping punishment by giving bribes, saying that those who are found guilty would face double punishment.

“Let the law enforcement deal with this. If people try to escape from this, there will be two punishments awaiting them,” he said.

On educating the public on the dangers of drink-driving, Wee said it would not be enough to change the syllabus at driving schools.

He said the greater challenge would be educating people who had already left the driving schools.

“These are the people we have to educate. Those who are drinking every day, they are at risk if they don’t get the message,” he said.

“To me, the most important thing is, we have to be serious in implementing this law.”

The Dewan Rakyat recently passed the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2020, which will see an increase in penalties for those driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs and for reckless driving.

Those causing death while driving under the influence will be jailed between 10 and 15 years, and fined between RM50,000 and RM100,000.

The minimum fine for first-time offenders will be raised from RM5,000 to RM20,000, with the maximum fine raised from RM20,000 to RM50,000.

First-time offenders will face a minimum of five years in jail, compared with two years currently. The maximum jail term remains at 10 years.

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For subsequent convictions, offenders will be fined between RM20,000 and RM100,000, compared with the current fine of RM5,000 to RM50,000. Prison time for subsequent offenders will also be increased to between 10 and 15 years.

First-time offenders will not be allowed to hold a driving licence for a maximum of five years. For subsequent offences, the penalty will be doubled to 10 years.

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