Senates pass Road Transport Amendment bill; Max jail term 20 years

The Dewan Negara has received a thumbs-up majority vote from the Senate members to pass the Road Transport (Amendment) Bill 2020. This means that the country is yet another step closer to imposing stricter penalties on reckless drivers and those driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs (DUI).

The bill, tabled by Deputy Transport Minister Hasbi Habibollah, was approved by 16 senators from both the government and the opposition parties that took part in the debate.

This follows the Parliament’s unanimous voice vote in favour of the amendments back in August to impose stricter penalties on drivers caught drunk driving.

To recap, the amendment bill contains 15 main clauses. Among them is an amendment of Section 41 of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333).

First-time offenders of causing death by reckless or dangerous driving will face imprisonment of 5 to 10 years and a fine of RM 20,000 to RM 50,000.

In addition to that, the amendment bill also suggests changes to Section 44 of the same act to divide the penalty offences caused by driving under the influence of alcohol and drug into 2 categories; namely cases causing injury and those resulting in death.

Accidents causing death for first time DUI offenders will see the offender face jail time between 10 to 15 years and a fine between RM 50,000 and RM 100,000. They will also have their driving license suspended for 10 years.

Repeat offenders will face imprisonment from 15 to 20 years and a fine of not less than RM 100,000 and a maximum of RM 150,000. They will also have their driving licenses suspended for 20 years.

At the same time, the bill also proposes to reduce the alcohol content limit to 22 microgrammes (mg) in 100 ml of breath, 50 mg of alcohol in 100 ml of blood, and 67 mg in 100 ml of urine.

For months now, news of drunk drivers causing death and driving against traffic have been going viral causing the government to take fast action against these offenders to curb DUI occurrences.

Source: Bernama