The Malaysian Insight

ALL state police contingents have been ordered to carry out daily operations against drink driving as the number of accidents and deaths caused by drunk drivers increases.

The directive from the federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman was implemented in January and already bearing results, said Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department director Azisman Alias.

“From our statistics, in January alone we carried out 116 operations, from which 3,702 individuals were checked and 316 arrested,” Azisman told The Malaysian Insight.

His department instructed all police contingents to hold operations daily after seeing their effectiveness in Kuala Lumpur.

“This was already being done by Kuala Lumpur police. So, we instructed all the states to do the same. Operations to nab drunk drivers every night.”

In 2019, the police conducted 911 operations, involving inspections of 19,281 vehicles and 20,966 individuals. Of these, 1,116 were arrested.

With the arrest of 316 individuals in January this year, police are showing they are serious about fighting drink driving.

“A study by the World Health Organisation lists Malaysia among the top 35 countries with accidents caused by drunk drivers.

“Our own statistics also show an increase in the numbers compared to previous years, but we feel the situation is still under control here,” he said.

Kuala Lumpur tops the number of arrests in 2019 for driving under the influence of alcohol at 831. This is followed by Johor (49) and Penang (10).

There were no arrests in Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu in 2019.

A 2012 study by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) showed that a drunk driver is 13 times more likely to cause an accident, compared with a sober person.

In Malaysia, the blood alcohol content (BAC) limit is 0.08 mg/l, which some experts have said is one of the most tolerable limits in the world.

On January 29, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the government agreed to amend the law to impose more severe penalties on those driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs; as well as those driving dangerously and causing death.

Last week, Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the government will amend the law to increase the sentence to 20 years and a RM100,000 fine on those who cause accidents leading to death due to drink driving.

The current penalty for offenders under the Road Transport Act 1987 is a jail sentence of up to 10 years and a fine of up to RM20,000.

Azisman agreed that heavier penalty must be imposed on drunk drivers to curb the problem.

Police will soon be holding a discussion with the Transport Ministry and the Road Transport Department on the increase in penalties.

“We will be discussing the matter from the legal and enforcement viewpoints. I am sure the public will also support this increase in penalty,” he said.

Azisman also urged individuals to practise self-restraint by not driving when they feel they have had too much to drink.

He advised the public not to take the law in their own hands when dealing with drunk drivers, adding that they should instead alert the authorities. – February 21, 2020.