Singaporeans Rack Up Over 108,000 Unsettled Traffic Summons In Malaysia
It’s only been a week since Singapore-Malaysia land borders reopened, and there are already quite a few stories about misbehaving motorists from the Lion City.
From illegally pumping subsidised fuel to driving recklessly and even urinating in public, Singaporeans have unfortunately made headlines for their antics across the Causeway.
Recently, another trespass came to light — not settling their traffic summons.
According to the Royal Malaysia Police, Singaporeans incurred over 108,000 outstanding traffic summons in Malaysia from 2016 to 2021.
The authorities have warned that they will stop Singaporeans with outstanding traffic fines from leaving Malaysia.
108,757 summons issued to Singaporeans in Malaysia still unpaid
On 7 Apr, Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) director Datuk Mat Kasim Karim released some staggering statistics.
According to him, Malaysian authorities issued a total of 143,427 traffic summons to Singaporeans between 2016 and 2021.
Offenders have yet to pay a whopping 108,757 of those summons.
The summons pertained to various offences such as driving over the speed limit, cutting queues, ignoring traffic signals, and not wearing a seatbelt.
Datuk Mat Kasim warned that the authorities may stop Singaporean traffic offenders with outstanding summons from leaving Malaysia.
Those who have received warrants may be arrested and charged in court immediately, Malay Mail reports.
Outstanding summons not Malaysian department’s fault
Datuk Mat Kasim clarified that the overwhelming number of outstanding summons was not due to any weaknesses in enforcement.
Instead, Berita Harian notes, it was because police did not have the offenders’ addresses to post the summons to. Another possibility is that some of the vehicles in question may have been scrapped according to Singapore’s law.
To try and combat this issue, the authorities will be implementing a new registration system soon. This will allow police to get the necessary information on traffic offenders for the purpose of issuing summons notices.
Abide by traffic laws in Malaysia
It’s disheartening to hear that so many Singaporean drivers have not only broken traffic laws in Malaysia, but have also not rectified their mistakes by paying their fines.
Now that the borders have reopened, we urge all drivers to be considerate and adhere to the rules while on the road.
We hope that those with outstanding summons will settle them once and for all to avoid getting in trouble with the Malaysian authorities.
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Featured image adapted from evil-licious on Flickr.
