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Selayang MP William Leong has shot down Transport Minister Kong Cho Ha’s justification that the Automatic Enforcement System (AES), geared at catching speedsters, is to reduce road accidents.
The ministry, he pointed out, had failed to lift a finger on all the other pertinentcauses of road accidents.
An example, Leong said, was the fact that the majority of deaths from road accidents involved motorcyclists.
The cause was the lack of motorcycle lanes, but this issue was yet to be addressed by the ministry.
"Statistics on road accidents in 2005 show there were 31,222 casualties from motorcycle accidents, constituting 66 percent of all traffic accidents in Malaysia," Leong (left) told a press conference at the Parliament lobby this morning.
He added that according to a 2010 report by the police and Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), there were 120,156 accidents involving motorcycles from the 9.4 million registered motorcycles.
Of this, there were 12,112 casualties with 3,614 rider fatalities and 422 pillion rider fatalities, he said.
"Kong should show us if speeding is the main cause of accidents. What has the government done in relation to these (other causes)?
"Why, if the money gained from AES is not used to reduce traffic accidents but to profit two private companies?" Leong asked.
The AES, which is being rolled out by ATES Sdn Bhd and Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd for the government, will entitle these two companies to a cut from the summonses issued.
'Enforcement isn't a business'
Furthermore, Leong pointed out, according to Miros, 3,523 accidents involved pedestrians in 2005, 12 percent of whom were children aged one to 18 years.
"If the reduction of accidents and safety is the main concern, I ask the transport minister to address the causes of accidents by providing motorcycle lanes, pedestrian facilities, upgrading intersection designs, installing road and intersection lighting and proper signages," he said.
The government should remove the "profit element" of the AES by leaving out the private companies and leaving enforcement entirely to the police, he added.
Also present at the press conference were PKR Youth information chief Lee Khai Loon and PKR Wanita committee member Chua Yee Ling.
Lee urged the government to review the the speed limit for the country's highways in light of the system.
"If the government is serious about catching the real offenders, it should increase the speed limit because sometimes drivers may unconsciously go over the speed limit. They can't be driving at exactly 110km all the time," he said.
The ministry, he pointed out, had failed to lift a finger on all the other pertinentcauses of road accidents.
An example, Leong said, was the fact that the majority of deaths from road accidents involved motorcyclists.The cause was the lack of motorcycle lanes, but this issue was yet to be addressed by the ministry.
"Statistics on road accidents in 2005 show there were 31,222 casualties from motorcycle accidents, constituting 66 percent of all traffic accidents in Malaysia," Leong (left) told a press conference at the Parliament lobby this morning.
He added that according to a 2010 report by the police and Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), there were 120,156 accidents involving motorcycles from the 9.4 million registered motorcycles.
Of this, there were 12,112 casualties with 3,614 rider fatalities and 422 pillion rider fatalities, he said.
"Kong should show us if speeding is the main cause of accidents. What has the government done in relation to these (other causes)?
"Why, if the money gained from AES is not used to reduce traffic accidents but to profit two private companies?" Leong asked.
The AES, which is being rolled out by ATES Sdn Bhd and Beta Tegap Sdn Bhd for the government, will entitle these two companies to a cut from the summonses issued.
'Enforcement isn't a business'
Furthermore, Leong pointed out, according to Miros, 3,523 accidents involved pedestrians in 2005, 12 percent of whom were children aged one to 18 years.
"If the reduction of accidents and safety is the main concern, I ask the transport minister to address the causes of accidents by providing motorcycle lanes, pedestrian facilities, upgrading intersection designs, installing road and intersection lighting and proper signages," he said.
The government should remove the "profit element" of the AES by leaving out the private companies and leaving enforcement entirely to the police, he added.
Also present at the press conference were PKR Youth information chief Lee Khai Loon and PKR Wanita committee member Chua Yee Ling.
Lee urged the government to review the the speed limit for the country's highways in light of the system.
"If the government is serious about catching the real offenders, it should increase the speed limit because sometimes drivers may unconsciously go over the speed limit. They can't be driving at exactly 110km all the time," he said.
How about adressing the real cause? Malaysians are poor drivers / riders, and blatantly disregard both the road rules and common sense. Train people properly and enforce the laws. AES is one solution; there are many others.
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