GEORGE TOWN: Helping an intoxicated customer get home without mishap rather than banning the production and sale of alcoholic drinks has been proposed as a better measure to curb drink-driving.
The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) said outlets such as bars and pubs could be compelled to hire designated drivers to ferry home customers who have had too much to drink.
“This can be part of an ongoing effort to reduce drink-driving,” Miros director-general Dr Kharil Anwar Abu Kassim said in response to several recent high-profile cases of drink-driving accidents that have resulted in fatalities.
Kharil said the rule of having designated drivers has proven effective in reducing road accidents in Australia and Japan.
He also proposed that penalties be enhanced to reflect the seriousness of the offence.
Pulau Tikus assemblyman Chris Lee Chun Kit suggested that bars and pubs monitor the conduct of their customers and arrange for ride-hailing services.
Meanwhile, DAP leaders have urged the government to speed up amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987 to provide heavier penalties, such as extending the jail term from three years to 10 years.
Bukit Gelugor MP Ramkarpal Singh Deo said the call by PAS to suspend the production and sale of alcoholic drinks does not make sense. “PAS has gone overboard,” he said.
Ramkarpal added that PAS should not politicise the issue.
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