Kejara demerit system set for "massive overhaul", says Loke
SHAH ALAM: The Kejara demerit system will undergo a massive overhaul to address critical weaknesses in its current enforcement mechanism, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said.
"It's completely ineffective right now because the demerit points are only deducted after someone pays their summons," he said after a briefing on Speed Limitation Devices (SLD) at Scania Malaysia's factory in Bukit Jelutong Industrial Park today.
Loke highlighted a major flaw in the system, noting that many drivers choose not to pay their summonses in order to avoid demerit deductions.
He said the ministry intends to maintain the system but with significant reforms to its functionality, including immediate demerit point deductions following an offence.
However, Loke clarified that this would require a review of existing legislation.
Last Tuesday, Federal Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said the driver of the bus carrying students from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI), which crashed in Gerik and claimed 15 lives, had a record of 18 traffic summonses.
Checks on the driver's record showed that 13 summonses were for speeding, one for an accident-related offence, three for not wearing a seatbelt, and one for a faulty third brake light.
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