In Local News / By Danny Tan / 27 May 2019 6:07 pm / 1 comment

The Road Transport Department (JPJ) will deploy enforcement teams at highway R&R areas over the Hari Raya travel period, and its personnel will conduct random checks on motorists in an effort to reduce road accidents. This was announced by transport minister Anthony Loke yesterday, reported by Bernama.

“For instance, at Teminal Bersepadu Selatan (TBS), JPJ will check the buses before they start the journey. There are other places too – we know the hotspots, but we can’t reveal them,” he told the press at the launch of the festive season’s Ops Bersepadu with the theme Pandu Cermat, Sampai Selamat.

Loke added that to reduce the accident rate during festive seasons, motorists, especially those who aren’t behind the wheel, can report traffic offences to the JPJ. He said that the summonses issued by the authorities aren’t to punish motorists, but to make them aware or the law and focus on safety.

The minister revealed that this year’s Chinese New Year travel period saw a reduction of road accidents from 21,041 to 20,829 accidents, with 197 deaths compared to 208 in 2018. He also urged stricter enforcement on motorcyclists, which contribute 63% to our road accident death statistics. Almost 35% of motorcycle accident deaths happen because the riders weren’t wearing helmets, he said.