The recently updated driving licence validity of up to 10 years will not impede the road transport department in carrying out their enforcement duties, transport minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said as reported by The Star.
The statement from the transport minister was in response to a request for comment regarding claims that the new maximum licence validity that is now up to 10 years would pose a challenge in terms of suspending motorists who have committed serious traffic offences.
The road transport department has its own methods of ensuring that motorists who have had their licences suspended by the courts for serious traffic violations, remain prohibited from driving on the public road, the transport minister said. Even if they have had their licences renewed for 10 years, the JPJ will know who the offenders are, and they would be banned from driving as decided by the courts, he continued.
“The JPJ will know who these offenders are as most of the department’s applications have been digitalised. So, there is no such thing as motorists who have accumulated traffic summons for example, [who] will be able to get away if he or she has renewed their licence for 10 years as allowed under a new policy from today,” Loke said at the Seremban state JPJ office according to the report.
The road transport department does not need to state how this would be carried out, as it has its own way of enforcing the law, the transport minister said, adding that the number of people who stand to benefit from the new 10-year policy was “way higher” than the number of serious traffic offenders.
Last week, transport minister Loke announced that the JPJ will begin permitting the renewal of driving licences for a validity period of up to 10 years, or twice the previously allowed duration of five years.
Additionally, renewing for the full 10-year period will require the licence holder to pay for just nine years’ renewal, essentially a 10% discount. The renewal fee is RM30 for each year of validity, therefore the rate for 10 years is RM270.
The post New 10-year driving licence validity will not impede JPJ enforcement against serious traffic offences: Loke appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.
* This article was originally published here
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