PUTRAJAYA: The Road Transport Department (RTD) will include 23 road offences in the Automated Awareness Safety System (AWAS), to be implemented in phases by the end of this year.
RTD director-general Datuk Seri Nadzri Siron said initially, only offences involving speeding and beating the red light would be given demerit points effective April 15.
He said among the offences that would incur demerit points is overloading, drunk driving, using mobile phones while driving, not wearing a seat belt, not wearing a helmet when riding a motorcycle and ignoring police or RTD instructions.
“Demerit points will only be given to the driver of the vehicle and not the owner of the vehicle,” he said at a press conference on the implementation of demerit points here today.
Under the AWAS system, motorists will incur demerit points if they are found guilty of traffic offences and points will be given based on the nature of the offence committed.
While AWAS kicked off on a trial basis on April 1, traffic offenders will only begin accumulating demerit points from April 15 when it takes effect.
Nadzri said 4,949 summonses were issued through 14 Automated Enforcement Systems (AES) nationwide from April 1 until today.
Citing the implementation of demerit points, he said the summons issued for the offence of exceeding the speed limit, recorded by the AES, will show who the driver was when committing the offence.
Nadzri said private vehicle drivers who beat the red light signal will be given four demerit points and drivers of commercial vehicles and buses would be given six merit points.
For speeding, drivers of private vehicles will be given four points (more than 40km per hour), while drivers of commercial vehicles and buses will be given six points, he said.
He said a driving licence holder, who accumulates the first 20 demerit points would be given a warning, but for the second offence, another 20 points would be given, which means the offender’s licence would be suspended for a period of six to eight months.
“For the third and fourth offence, the offender will be given 20 points each, and their licences will be suspended for a period of eight to 10 months, and 10 to 12 months, respectively.
“However, when the driver collects up to 100 demerit points, the licence will be revoked,” he said.
For those with provisional driving licences, Nadzri said their driving licence will be automatically cancelled with the first 20 points.
He said any driver whose driving licence is suspended or revoked must surrender the licence at any JPJ office and is prohibited from driving.
“If caught driving while their licence is suspended or cancelled, they can be fined not less than RM3,000 and not more than RM10,000 or a jail term not exceeding three years,” he said.
Nadzri said offenders with demerit points not reaching 20 points can opt for a rehabilitation course, and upon completion of the course, the demerit points will be deducted by 50 per cent as an incentive.
“This incentive will be given only once,” he said.--BERNAMA