It stems from weak laws and enforcement apart from the selfish and stubborn nature of drunkards," the party's information chief Kamaruzaman Mohamad said in a statement on Tuesday (May 26). Both sides of the political divide have accused each other of not tackling drunken drivers effectively. I’m really sick of seeing the same posts every week making drunk-driving a racial/religious issue. Maybe you are actually guilty, but you have the right to exercise the same defenses that every innocent person maintains in this country. KUALA LUMPUR - A 44-year-old contract worker was killed after he was run over by a drunk driver at Lebuhraya Sultan Iskandar early Monday (June … Some Malaysians urge harsher punishments, including the death penalty, against drunken drivers. On May 25, a man was killed after a driver, believed to be drunk, drove against traffic and collided into him in Kuantan. "I just want to ask Najib one question, why did his government not amend the laws during his nine years of rule?". In many cases, police officers enforce drunk driving laws by using field sobriety tests that let them assess a driver's level of intoxication. Recently, the police revealed its statistics on drunk driving cases. KUALA LUMPUR - A spate of drink driving incidents, including three recent fatal ones, has made the issue a powerful political weapon pitting the Malay-led Perikatan Nasional (PN) government of Muhyiddin Yassin's against the Democratic Action Party (DAP), the Chinese-based faction with the biggest number of lawmakers in the opposition. 198402868E. Ranga Reddy: There was a huge rise in the drunk driving cases on the New Year's eve with a total of 931 cases registered across Ranga Reddy district. For the first five months of this year, there were 21 cases with eight deaths. "If we introduce mandatory prison time, that might give some awareness to those who choose to drive under the influence," he told reporters. Law student Ming Yao wrote on Twitter on May 23: "I'm really sick of seeing the same posts every week making drunk-driving a racial/religious issue. 1. According to the WHO's Global Status report on Road Safety for 2015, South Africa is … It looks like Malaysians are out for blood with the recent rise in road accidents involving drunk drivers. Jangan duduk senyap-senyap and let this go by, cos these cases … In the west, weekends are usually meant to be allotted for drinking revelry. A … You have reached your limit of subscriber-only articles this month. Innocent people have died and family members are lost. Muhyiddin Yassin says there have been 21 road accidents involving It is as though lives have no worth when these drunk drivers are on the road. The traffic police booked 3,287 drunk driving cases in the year 2020 and 33 licenses of those convicted for the offences were suspended during the year. On a more positive note, this is the lowest number of fatalities recorded by NHTSA ever since … As many as 3,571 drunk driving cases were booked by the police in the Cyberabad commissionerate limits in the last week. It is saddening that most of the cases involving drunk driving led to fatal accidents. He said his proposed amendments would be passed soon. This compared to 229 in 2015, which made up 3.41 per cent of overall casualties. Violators of the Anti-Drunk and Drugged Driving Act will pay a fine of P100,000 to P200,000. CMCO FOR KLANG SUB-DISTRICT. Malaysia 's frequent drunk-driving deaths have captured the attention of the country's finance minister, Lim Guan Eng. Cook Islands Police have arrested at least seven individuals in the final days of 2020, after tests had confirmed they had been operating motorised vehicles with excess blood alcohol. Everyone rational supports heavier penalties. Moreover, according to Nordin (n.d), he claims that government also takes lot actions to reduce the numbers of road accidents. Cases involving aggravations, life-changing or fatal injuries are prosecuted on indictment via the sheriff solemn or high court. The Consequences of Drunk Driving in Malaysia. SPH Digital News / Copyright © 2021 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Co. Regn. Drunk driving: 2,351 cases booked in Cyberabad New variant: 12 special wards for Covid positive people in Telangana One more UK returnee tests … Under current laws, drunken drivers who cause injury or death can be jailed for a maximum 10 years and fined up to RM20,000 (S$6,500). The gift link for this subscriber-only article has expired. "Such solutions should take a different holistic approach without infringing on or taking away the rights of others especially in a plural and multicultural country like Malaysia," Mr Yii said in a Facebook post in response to the death threats. As mentioned above, a drunk driver is exponentially more likely to cause traffic accidents, and according to authors Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, 21 billion miles are being driven by drunk drivers every year in the United States alone. One judge interrupted a prosecutor’s Fatalities due to Drunk Driving . DAP on Wednesday said that former transport minister Anthony Loke had planned to amend the laws to impose stricter punishments for drunken drivers, and that this would have been brought to Parliament this year. With alcohol consumption commonly associated with non-Muslims, the issue often ignites a racial backlash in Malaysia, leading to a blame game against the non-Malays, particularly when the victims were Malay. Of the total drunk driving cases registered last week, 1,814 persons were caught of the new year eve which include 931 cases under Cyberabad, 496 and … The proportion of drunk driving accidents in total are also low when compared to the overall number of accidents (450k – … The number of DUI deaths per year shows that 30% of the total number of traffic deaths happened because alcohol was involved. “Drunk driving often happens after midnight and the death toll due to alcohol intoxication last year was just one while in 2018 there were three cases,” he told Bernama in a special interview at the Traffic Police Station here recently. — Bernama, Police constable, two jobless men charged with gang robbery in Iskandar Puteri, Sibu police say viral video has nothing to do with MCO in Pasai Siong, Putrajaya police: Supermarket worker in viral video compounded for SOP violation. The Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) statistics show 21 cases of drunk driving were recorded just in the first five months this year involving eight deaths, a significant increase compared to 23 cases of drunk driving accidents recorded throughout last year. “If a person’s alcohol content level exceeds the permitted level, the owner of the premises may take the initiative and advise them not to drive,” he added. KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 — A total of 158 individuals were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in the capital city throughout January this year, said Kuala Lumpur Traffic and Investigation Department (JSPT KL) head ACP Zulkefly Yahya. A series of accidents have raised tensions on the Internet, with some Malaysians urging harsher punishments, including the death penalty, against drunken drivers. She was driving a Toyota Vios when she went into the opposite lane and caused a massive accident at 1.15am yesterday (July 8). "Drink driving should not be viewed lightly. Until we resolve the issues, subscribers need not log in to access ST Digital articles. Hyderabad: 3,571 drunk driving cases booked by police last week. Oceania Australia This article is now fully available for you, Please verify your e-mail to read this subscriber-only article in full. Sekinchan, drunk driving case, student killed. The traffic police booked 3,287 drunk driving cases in the year 2020 and 33 licenses of those convicted for the offences were suspended during the year. But a log-in is still required for our PDFs. The legal alcohol driving limit must be less than 0.05 grams per every 100 millilitres of blood for normal drivers and less than 0.2 grams per every 100 millilitres in case of professional drivers. DAP member and political secretary to party veteran Lim Kit Siang, Syahredzan Johan cited statistics from an oral reply to Parliament during former premier Najib Razak's tenure that there were 1,035 road accidents recorded between 2010 and April 2015 caused by drink driving, resulting in 618 deaths. For the eight-year period from 2011 to 2018, a total of 1,147 people lost their lives in drink driving accidents in Malaysia, based on these figures. The Selangor State Assembly which entered its second day witnessed only a single BN State Assemblyman given the chance to debate. 2013. They can read the article in full after signing up for a free account. However, de facto law minister Takiyuddin Hassan, who is also from PAS, on Friday said that the government would not deny non-Muslims their right to drink alcohol. The ninth and tenth Malaysian Plans [3, 4] indicated that Malaysia aspires to be a “developed country” by 2020. On Friday, a courier died after his motorcycle was hit by a drunk driver in Kuala Lumpur. Malaysia’s Islamic party has proposed that the government temporarily shut the country’s alcohol industry until it finds solutions to its drunk driving problem. Drunk driving is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol.A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash.. Following calls for harsher punishments against offenders this week, Tan Sri Muhyiddin said today (May 30) that he had ordered the Transport Ministry to amend existing laws to allow heavier penalties to be meted out. Malaysia is no longer safe bcoz every day there are people die or injured due to drunk driving. Now the pressure is on PN's Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), a Chinese-based party in the ruling coalition. Similarly, Rachakonda police in a press note said they booked 3,287 cases in connection with drunken driving in 2020. In 2018, there were 54 deaths due to drunk driving, or 0.85 per cent of overall road crash casualties, and in 2017, 58 or 0.86 per cent. This had caused the death of four men, including a teenager, and had injured two others in the four-vehicle accident at Jalan Chong Thien Voon, Tawau reported NST. Malaysia U-turns on approval for Heineken, Carlsberg to operate during coronavirus lockdown after backlash, Heineken clarifies its alcohol-free beer aimed only at non-Muslims in Malaysia, Suspected bootleg liquor poisoning in Malaysia claims another 8 lives, bringing total toll to 29, Non-Malays fret over their future under new Malaysian government, Race and religion remain Malaysia's most divisive issues: The Star columnist, Race and religious rhetoric heats up 'New Malaysia', Boycotts along racial, religious and nationalistic lines are hypocritical: The Star columnist. He said of the 158 individuals detained, 118 had been charged and 40 were still under investigation. All rights reserved. Despite months under Movement Control, Malaysia has already recorded 12 deaths involving drunk drivers in 2020. Every day, almost 30 people in the United States die in drunk-driving crashes — that's one person every 50 minutes. "The issue of drink driving, which used to be a major issue for the opposition BN and PAS, is no longer a priority now that they are in government," it said in a statement, referring to the Barisan Nasional coalition. These deaths have fallen by a third in the last three decades; however, drunk-driving crashes claim more than 10,000 lives per year. Police resumed the drive against drunken driving recently after discontinuing it following the outbreak of Covid-19. Shame. In the meantime, Zulkefly suggested that entertainment outlet owners should have the Screening Device II (SDII) available, for customers to be aware of their alcohol levels in an effort to reduce cases involving drunk drivers. Ranga Reddy: There was a huge rise in the drunk driving cases on the New Year's eve with a total of 931 cases registered across Ranga Reddy district.During the inspection conducted at … From the same Transport Ministry data, drink driving accidents were also shown to have resulted in 539 individuals being seriously injured from 2011 to 2018, and 595 suffering minor injuries during the same eight-year period. The government has recently tabled tougher penalties on drink On May 3, a policeman was killed after a suspected drunk driver rammed into him at a roadblock on the Kajang-Seremban Highway. On Sunday alone, the police registered 346 cases against those driving. In many of these celebrations, the alcohol flows freely, which can contribute to an increase in drunk driving accidents.These accidents can lead to serious injury, death, and a many other undesirable consequences, especially if you’re the drunk driver. This is the first time that the cases of drunk driving are in double digits; the incidence was as high as 778 last year. Loke said his ministry would initiate discussions with stakeholders including the police, the attorney general and relevant agencies to enable the amendment to be brought to Parliament as early as July. In the United States, alcohol is involved in 30% of all traffic fatalities. — Hang Lucky jr. (@r_marvelous) May 22, 2020. These statistics are not to encourage people to drink and … Notes: An alternate number is the Royal Malaysia Police Operations Center in Kuala Lumpur, 03-2115-9999 or 03-2262-6555 Reactions by netizens have been racially-charged, while the issue has also been turned into a religious one by some. TNB- Electric ... Berita Nasional Malaysia merupakan Peneraju dalam perkhidmatan berita dan maklumat mempelawa calon warganegara Malaysia yang layak untuk menyertai kami : Tiada kekosongan jawatan. Currently, he said driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs resulting in injury or death is a serious offence under the Road Transport Act 1987 adding that offenders could be charged under Section 44 with a jail term of three to 10 years and a fine of between RM8, 000 and RM20,000. On January 29, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the government had agreed to amend the law to impose more severe penalties on persons driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs; as well as those driving dangerously and causing death. Although it happens frequently, the existing law does not seem to bring any impact as the incidents keep repeating. The holiday season brings a host of parties, gatherings, and work functions. But despite the concern over drink driving, police statistics show that the number of accidents involving drink driving have actually gone down over the last few years. Mr. Essen is the author of the Practice Guide volume of Matthew Bender's 4-volume Defense of Drunk Driving Cases. KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 13 — A total of 158 individuals were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in the capital city throughout January this year, said Kuala Lumpur Traffic and Investigation Department (JSPT KL) head ACP Zulkefly Yahya. Asked about the government’s proposal to amend existing laws on drunk driving, driving under the influence of drugs and reckless driving, Zulkefly said the police welcomed the proposal. In addition, Malaysia has one of the highest traffic fatality rates in the region (Figure 1) [2]. "It is hoped that this amendment will provide for heavier mandatory penalties in line with the offences committed by drunk drivers who not only cause injuries but also fatalities," Mr Muhyiddin said in a Facebook post. There are tips for stopping drunk driving that are effective in keeping your friends and family safe, from ruining lives and out of legal trouble. Recently there's been an increase in drunk driving accidents in Malaysia. In Malaysia, under the existing law, drunk driving is only subject to Section 45A (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 which provides for a fine of not … Only four drunk driving cases were recorded in Kalamboli as against 41 caught on December 31, 2019. As such, there’s a real need for harsher laws and better enforcement. DAP MP Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen said he had received over 900 death threats for opposing PAS' call to ban alcohol. They would be chargesheeted in the court and driving licences (seized) will be referred to the Regional Transport Authority seeking their suspension, police said. But the point of the matter is that, even if we took the UNESCAP numbers, drunk driving still amounts to less than 5% of fatalities on Malaysian roads in any given year. Unlike in England, Australia, Germany and even in other western countries, where “drunken driving” is a major cause of accidents, in Malaysia, the cause of accidents due to drivers who are “drunk” is surprisingly negligible. According to police, the number of drunk-driving cases between January and March this year was 27,376, down 27.7 percent from the same period last year. The rest of the members who were granted the permission to debate were from PKR and DAP. In Cyberabad police limits, the one causing the road accident and the victim undergo the drunk driving test. He said the PN government, which PAS is a part of, must set up a special Cabinet committee comprising several ministries to combat the scourge. Transport Minister Wee Ka Siong, who is from MCA, said mandatory jail sentences are being mooted, even though legal provisions for it already exist. Read 3 articles daily and stand to win ST rewards, including the ST News Tablet worth $398. We have been experiencing some problems with subscriber log-ins and apologise for the inconvenience caused. Figure 2 shows the fatality rate in Malaysia in comparison to selected developed countries, based on WHO data [2]. Posted in Personal Injury on November 17, 2017. Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong, the current Transport Minister, spoke in Parliament earlier this week. Sign up for the ST Asian Insider newsletter to get exclusive insights into Asia from our network of overseas correspondents. Drunk driving remains to be a heavily contested issue among the local community here, with many Malaysians arguing on what should be the appropriate course of action taken by the government to ensure that they do not happen again. In 2010, the most recent year for which cost data is available, these deaths and damages contributed to a cost of $44 billion that year. By using the Islamic card, the issue may force PKR and its ally Parti Amanah Negara, a moderate Islamic party, to take a stand and create a split in the opposition PH coalition. Drunk driving is very dangerous we need to remember that, there is always some significant person in our life waiting for us to go back home with safety. Among the persons who were caught, 1,763 were two-wheeler riders and 480 were driving four-wheelers. As with most UK-wide legislation, the penalties and sentencing guidelines for drunk driving in Scotland mirror those in effect in England and Wales. 2019 was the most dangerous year for drivers on Malaysian roads since 2012, with an eight-year high in the number of road accidents. Of course, since then, the government has been replaced, and … No. When it comes to fatalities from drunk driving, one country stands out from the rest. 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