KUALA LUMPUR: Police are looking into the possibility of making traffic violations a non compoundable offence.
This would mean that offenders who run the red light would need to go to court instead of merely paying a fine.
Federal Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said this was being mulled as a measure to crack down on cases of motorists beating red lights, which had resulted in a number of recent fatalities.
"This is one of our plans moving forward to take sterner action against errant motorists.
"It needs to be discussed with the Transport Ministry as there are legal aspects that need to be looked into before we can introduce this measure," he told the New Straits Times.
Under the Road Traffic Rules 1959, motorists who disobey the traffic light signals can be fined a minimum of RM300 and a maximum of RM2,000, or face six months' jail.
Yusri said data showed that traffic light violations were on the rise, with almost 390,000 summonses issued by police to such offenders last year.
He said police in 2022 issued 273,926 summonses to motorists for beating the red light.
Last year, the number rose to 387,084. "From January to August this year, we have already issued 293,553 summonses to motorists for traffic light violations."
Data also showed that since 2022, traffic light violations have consistently remained the third highest traffic offence category, topped only by obstructing traffic and speeding.
Yusri's comments came in the wake of a series of fatal accidents involving motorists who beat the red light.
On Nov 17 in Pasir Gudang, Johor, a man and his wife were killed when a driver, believed to be under the influence of alcohol, beat a red light and rammed his car into them.
A day earlier, a 37year-old motorcyclist, who was waiting ata red light at an intersection in Jalan Persiaran Putra Perdana, Subang Jaya, died after a car failed to stop and rammed into him.
Yusri said apart from harsher penalties, an "attitude adjustment" was crucial for real change to take effect in curbing road accidents and fatalities.
"Their (motorists) mentality has to change. "It does not matter if you are rushing or have a personal issue to take care of.
"Traffic laws are in place for the safety of all road users. "They must be followed or accidents and fatalities will occur."
Police, he said, had boosted their operations and awareness campaigns to reduce traffic offences.
He said while motorways in major cities were equipped with closed-circuit television cameras, which would enable the authorities to deter and identify offenders, more must be done in rural areas.
Police, he said, would discuss with municipal councils in rural areas to set up similar equipment at accident hotspots.
However, he said motorists had to play a role in making roads safer. "We can work on enforcing the law and taking action against errant motorists, but they must also do their part and drive safely and responsibly."