JOHOR BAHRU – There are still motorists driving with alcohol contents tested exceeding the permissible level despite the implementation of the Road Transport (Amendment) Act 2020 Oct 23 which can impose heavier penalties on offenders.
This was acknowledged by Johor police chief Datuk Ayob Khan Myidin Pitchay during Ops Mabuk which was conducted at several locations in the city, last night.
“Like just now, (we found) a driver’s reading at over 200 milligrammes (mg) at the first place of operation. Imagine gentlemen, what is allowed is 50 mg in 100 millilitre of blood. How much did he drink? It was only 11 pm just now, not yet 2 am. So there must be awareness on the part of the community to comply, “he told reporters during the operation, at midnight.
When asked whether the amendments were found to be effective or not, Ayob Khan said this depended on the community whether they want to comply or not.
“Recently, when we charge them (drunk motorists) in court, some non-governmental organisations (NGOs) questioned why our laws are so harsh. This is what we regret, they do not want to comply with but seek to dispute when there are laws available.
“When it happened (accident involving drunkenness) recently, it becomes a big issue. If all the people understand and follow the law, this will not happen. It is not wrong to drink but the rules should be followed,” Ayob Khan reiterated.
According to him, since the implementation of the amendments to the act, 17 Ops Mabuk had been conducted in the state from Oct 23 to Oct 29 involving 25 arrests.
“We detained 24 male and one female drivers, aged between 24 and 52, and have charged 19 of them in court so far. A total of 25 vehicles have also been seized,” said Ayob Khan.
— BERNAMA
