KUALA LUMPUR – The Transport Ministry wants motorists driving under the influence of drugs charged even if they did not cause an accident.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said this proposal would be made in amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987 and later tabled in the third Parliament session in October.
Before that, further discussions will be held with ministry officials and relevant departments to amend Section 45A of the act, he said today.
“For drivers who take drugs, we can only prosecute them if they cause road accidents.
“For those found driving under the influence of drugs but do not cause an accident, we can only have their licence suspended and (they) cannot be prosecuted.”
“Such drivers should be taken out of the road system,” Bernama reported him saying at a press conference at the RTD’s Gombak enforcement station today.
The current law is not strict enough on drivers who test positive for drugs, Loke said, adding that they should be punished as severely as those who commit drunk driving, which is punishable with a maximum penalty of two years in prison and a RM10,000 fine.
“It is not appropriate to wait until an accident occurs before taking action against drivers on drugs.”
Loke said this proposal arose after the RTD conducted an operation that found one in every 13 drivers tested positive for drug use.
The operation, which started on August 1, recorded a total of 21 drivers who tested positive for drugs as a result of the urine test screening of 276 commercial vehicle drivers.
“This means that out of 13 drivers, one driver is driving under the influence of drugs when carrying out their duties.This is a very worrying situation.” – August 6, 2024