Allowing dealers temporary car ownership among proposed changes to road law

PETALING JAYA: Changes will be made to the Road Transport Act 1987 to protect the interests of car owners when they sell their vehicles to used car dealers.

With the proposed amendments, such dealers will be allowed to temporarily have ownership of the vehicle while looking for new buyers.

"At the same time, this move will ensure the rights of the consumer will be protected," said Transport Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wee Ka Siong in a statement on Saturday (June 18).

He announced this move as among a slew of amendments to the Act, set to be tabled in the coming Dewan Rakyat meeting in July.

He said at present, the existing procedures under the Act only allow for a permanent transfer of ownership of the vehicles.

"However, an administrative measure was made in 2011 to allow vehicle owners to sell and transfer ownership of their vehicles to used car dealers temporarily.

"The ownership will only be permanently transferred to the dealer after a specified time if the vehicle is not sold to a new buyer by the dealer," Dr Wee, who is also MCA president, added.

Through the coming changes in the law, the interim Vehicle Ownership Transfer (Temporary) from the original owner to the dealer would be legalised.

He said the Cabinet had approved the ministry’s proposals to amend the Act to better serve the general public and keep all road users safe.

"The ministry has always sought to find ways to make the law more people-centric and put safety as a top priority without unduly burdening road users," Dr Wee added.

Another amendment to take place is a new provision to allow the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to use the High-Speed Weigh-in Motion (HS-WIM) system.

"This combination of sensors, camera, and computer algorithms can ascertain the presence, identity and most importantly the prescribed weight of vehicles while in motion.

"HS-WIM allows for a more efficient and accurate way of recording vehicles' weight and for enforcement activities to be done automatically without the presence of JPJ’s officers at the location," said Dr Wee.

The system would ensure higher compliance of the relevant rules by all vehicle owners, especially those that transport goods.

It would also ultimately provide for safer roads for all users.

"The ministry is continuously seeking the best approaches to ensure public safety on the road and one of the best ways is through integration of technology into enforcement.

"Such a step can also prevent corruption and ensure continuous monitoring for compliance," he said.

Dr Wee said the law will also be amended to lower the age limit to hold a Vocational Licence to ride a motorcycle as a goods vehicle from the current 21 years to not less than 18 years.

"This is to allow more people the option to earn extra income via the p-hailing (delivery or penghantar in Bahasa Malaysia) business and other platforms to deliver goods," he added.

In a fourth proposed amendment to the law, Dr Wee said it will be mandatory for tour bus drivers to have a valid Vocational License, to be uniform with other types of bus drivers.

This requirement for such a license was already currently imposed on drivers of express buses, stage buses and school buses.

"This move will ensure all drivers are protected with current knowledge and competencies to provide safe and responsible services to their passengers," Dr Wee said.

He added that the ministry was constantly working to improve public policies to make the roads safer for the benefit of pedestrians and motorists.

"We will continue to listen to feedback from the public and all stakeholders to better improve these policies for the future," he said.