The wearing of seat belts in buses has been made mandatory since July 1, and the road transport department (JPJ) has issued a total of 1,194 related saman nationwide – 1,108 to passengers, 62 to drivers and 24 for failure to install seat belts, reports Bernama.
JPJ director-general Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli said among the reasons given to avoid being fined were that they were unaware that seat belts were mandatory and that enforcement had already been gazetted.
“This excuse is unacceptable, as checks revealed that most bus operators and drivers have either made announcements or displayed notices reminding passengers to wear seat belts,” he said recently, adding that tourists or non-citizens would also not be let off if they were found not wearing seat belts.
“Overall, we are seeing an increase in compliance, and passengers are beginning to better understand the importance of wearing seat belts,” said Aedy. JPJ plans to expand this to buses owned by institutions of higher learning and fully residential schools as well.
Bus passengers are encouraged to file complaints (accompanied by photo or video evidence and details of the bus journey) to the department via the MyJPJ app or email if there’s something wrong with their seat belts, such as if they’re missing, broken or not working.
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