The Transport Minister said the Road Transport Department (JPJ) would come down hard on errant drivers who used their handphones behind the wheel.
Enforcement personnel and two types of cameras – static and mobile – would be deployed, and those caught red-handed would be slapped with a RM300 fine, he said.
“We prohibit drivers from using their handphones on the road. We have given them a lot of advice, yet there are many who still do so.
Strict action was necessary to reduce the number of accidents caused by using handphones while driving, he added.
From Kee's World. Our resident cartoonist, CW Kee, gives a funny take on a serious topic. By the way, what is shown is still illegal, if you didn't know.
Liow was speaking to reporters after officiating at the closing ceremony of Satu Komuniti Satu JPJ (SKSJ) here yesterday.
He added that using navigation apps such as Waze was permitted, but the mobile phone should be mounted on a phone holder.
Liow said the usage of handphones by drivers is one of the 20 offences that would soon be included into the Automated Awareness Safety System, a combination of the Automated Enforcement System and demerit points system.
“The accident rates are very high. There were 5,310 fatalities from January to September this year while for the whole of last year, there were 7,152 deaths.
“We want to reduce these figures by 10% every year and it is really challenging,” he said during a visit to his constituency here.
Liow said the main aim of executing strict enforcement was to save lives and not to penalise road users.
“If none of us break the rules, the roads will be safer for everyone,” he said.
