Move to reduce AES fines

PUTRAJAYA: Amendments to the law to reduce traffic fines under the Automated Enforcement System (AES) from RM300 to RM150 will be tabled in Parliament in March next year.
It is also likely that the much awaited Kejara demerit points system may only kick off after the new legislation for AES is gazetted and incorporated into the Awareness Automated Safety System (Awas).
Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Aziz Kaprawi told theSun that the law revision was important for the second phase of AES.
"This is also to standardise the traffic fines issued by traffic cops into the Kejara demerit points," he said.
theSun understands that the Kejara system will also involve integration of traffic summonses issue by the Land Public Transport Commission, Road Transport Department and police.
Aziz confirmed that the RM150 fixed amount announced by Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai last week was merely a compound discount for traffic offenders to settle 2.5 million outstanding AES issued summonses since 2012.
"This discount offer begins now, for the next six months. After that period, those who still refuse to pay will be hauled up to court," Aziz said.
He is also not ruling out a proposal to the Attorney-General's Chamber to set up a special court to clear the backlog of AES cases accumulated in the past four years.
Aziz was clearing the air on the confusion over the latest move by the ministry in relation to Section 79 (2) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for AES offences.
The current penalty, upon conviction, is a fine of not less than RM300 and not more than RM2,000 under Act 1440, that was last amended in 2012.
The matter came to light after AES Protest Secretariat chairman Zulhazmi Shariff questioned Liow's announcement on the fixed amount of RM150.
Zulhazmi pointed out that the RM300 fine still remains unchanged for speeding and red light-running offences under AES, "until present regulation is amended".
"The transport minister stated that the Cabinet has agreed to reduce the fine to RM150. Is Section 79 (2) of the Act already amended? I don't think so."
On a related matter, Aziz said the Transport Ministry has yet to decide on the number of safety cameras and the locations for phase two of AES.