Stricter penalties for driving under influence to take effect 23 October 2020

The suggested amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987 have been passed by a vote in the Dewan Rakyat on 21 October. The 2020 Road Transport (Amendment) Bill or Rang Undang Undang (RUU) will take effect from 23 October 2020 onwards.

The new amendments made to the Road Transport Act will see heavier penalties on any wrongdoers that are charged under Section 41 to Section 44 of the Act.

Here is the list of amendments made to the Act:

Section 41 – Offences caused by reckless driving and causing death will be sentenced to a jail period of 5 to 10 years along with a fine of RM 20,000 to RM 50,000.

Section 44 – Offences caused by reckless driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs will be separated into 2 categories which are: offences resulting in injuries to other parties and offences resulting in death.

If the said offence resulted in the death of other parties, first-time offenders will face a jail sentence of 10 to 15 years along with a fine of between RM 50,000 and RM 100,000. Other than that, the offender’s driving license will be suspended for 10 years.

Second-time offenders will face a jail sentence of 15 to 20 years and are required to pay a minimum fine of RM 100,000 and a maximum fine of RM 150,000. They will also have their licenses suspended for 20 years.

In recent months, the country has seen an increase of drunk driving offences with many causing deaths to other road users. The most recent case involved an intoxicated Perodua Myvi driver causing the death of a Navy officer.

Hence why the Ministry started looking seriously into taking action to discourage occurrences of driving under the influence.

Source: Dr Wee Ka Siong's Facebook