Transport Minister Anthony Loke speaks to reporters during a press conference at the AES control centre in Subang September 3, 2018. — Picture by Miera Zulyana

PETALING JAYA, Sept 3 — The Transport Ministry released an updated demerit point system as a part of its new Automated Awareness Safety System (AwAS), with changes to the scoring and levels at which penalties are applied.

The system allows for a suspension of a user’s driving licence after at least 40 demerit points are accumulated and now incorporates offences captured by the previously privatised automated camera network that has come under the Road Transport Department.

“Under the demerit system any drivers found guilty under the scheduled offences by the court or have been given a compound and have paid the compound, will be issued demerit points as stated in the schedule,” Loke said.

The penalty for provisional driving licence holders who accumulate 20 demerit points is a revocation of the probationary permit.

Demerit points range from a maximum of 10 points for offences such as drunk driving to two points for riding a motorcycle without an approved helmet.

Commercial licence holders are adjudged more strictly in the system, attracting between 33 and 66 per cent more points for the same offences as private licence holders.

Licence holders are first given a warning upon reaching 20 points, with suspensions first imposed once 40 points are accumulated. Progressively longer suspensions are applied at intervals of 20 points thereafter.

The points are erased once the suspension is served.

“Any drivers whose licence has been suspended three times in a period of five years will have their driving licence revoked and are not allowed to drive or receive a driver’s licence for 12 months from the date of the licence was revoked,” Loke warned additionally.

Under the previous Kejara demerit point system that came into effect last April, points ranged from five to a maximum of 15, with the PDL subject to revocation once the 10-point limit is hit.