Traffic summonses: A burden on the poor

Traffic summonses: A burden on the poor
New Straits Times 2011/03/07
A. HASHIM, Sungai Petani, Kedah

Traffic offenders waiting to settle their summonses at the Jalan Tun H.S. Lee traffic police station. The government may wish to consider maintaining the discount rates for old summonses.

I AM sure the cabinet's decision to extend the deadline for the discount on traffic summonses will please the people. Those who missed the earlier deadlines now have another chance to settle their summonses.

However, I am unsure whether people will settle the bulk of the remaining 17 million summonses.

This is not because the offenders are stubborn, as some claimed. The biggest hindrance is financial.

Since these summonses go back a few years, most offenders would have accumulated a number of summonses.

With the 50 per cent discount, they still have to pay RM1,500 if they have 10 summonses. For the lower-income group, this amount equals or exceeds their monthly salary.

As it is, these people can hardly make ends meet, so paying for all the summonses at one go is difficult.

Even those who have the money may consider getting another car rather than paying the full sum.

The end result is lots of unpaid summonses and more people driving without insurance and road tax.

Instead of blacklisting motorists, the government should consider allowing them to settle two or three of the earlier summonses first, so that offenders can settle them before they renew their road tax.

Another two or three summonses may be settled the following year. I believe this is a win-win situation.

Better still, maintain the discount rate for all the old summonses. The authorities are also at fault for not collecting the fines earlier, resulting in the offenders repeating the offences and accumulating the fines.

I believe that the offenders have learnt their lesson and would not commit any more offences. If they do, they should be slapped with higher fines.

Those who are caught speeding many times should go to jail or have their driving licences suspended.

Another important area for the government to look at is the manner in which the summonses are issued.

In my case, I found that I had been issued with several summonses for speeding, though I know that I normally observe speed limits.

I suspect that I was caught speeding while overtaking or going downhill.

I have also gone a bit faster to gain momentum when going uphill to save fuel. I am more careful now, but I feel that I have been unfairly treated.

I believe that many summonses were issued without due consideration, for the purpose of meeting quotas rather than catching those who endanger other road users.

The fines for speeding should be proportionate to the excess speed.

Be fair to those who observe the speed limits but occasionally exceed them slightly because of the reasons I mentioned above.

It is necessary for the authorities to post photographic evidence on their website so that offenders can view them online rather than pay for the hard copy. Nobody will be happy to pay for something they are not sure they have committed.

From now on, new summonses should not be left unsettled for more than two or three years without errant motorists being blacklisted.

Even if the offenders are not blacklisted yet, people should be reminded of the summonses when they renew their road tax. Get them to acknowledge the reminders.

To offenders, don't waste any more money on the roads. It is really not worth it.



Read more: Traffic summonses: A burden on the poor http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/18fik/Article/#ixzz1Fs6SgscT