PAY BEFORE DEADLINE

Summons deadline looms for motorists By LESTER KONG lester@thestar.com.my PUTRAJAYA: Motorists who have yet to settle an estimated 18 million outstanding summonses have just four more days to do so before they are barred from renewing their driving licences and road tax. Those who don’t want to get blacklisted after the Feb 28 deadline should check their summonses online at MyEG and pay up at Road Transport Department (JPJ) offices, traffic police counters or post offices. JPJ director-general Datuk Solah Mat Hassan said special desk officers had been assigned to look into complaints and disputes on traffic summonses. At least two desk officers have been assigned in every state and branch office of JPJ, traffic police and Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL). “More officers will be assigned in states with a higher number of registered drivers such as Selangor,” he told a press conference on the implementation of new traffic compound rates from March 1. Also present were Federal Traffic Police chief SAC1 Datuk Abd Aziz Yusof and DBKL security and enforcement chief Mohd Sauffi Muhamad. Solah said the desk officers were assigned after the three enforcement agencies received a deluge of complaints via e-mail, letters and media reports from road users who disputed their traffic compounds and summonses. “Each agency has prepared special desk officers to look into these disputes,” he said. An example of a dispute is the motorist being unable to renew his driving licence or road tax despite having settled his summons. In cases like this, the desk officers will help get the offender removed from the blacklist. Solah reminded offenders to avoid long lines at the agencies by settling their summonses at 688 post offices nationwide. “Just go straight to the post office, not just JPJ or police. And don’t wait until the last minute on Feb 27 or 28,” he said. He warned that there would be no further grace period for traffic offenders who failed to settle their summonses before March 1. Solah noted there were still about 15 million unpaid summonses issued between 2000 and 2008 – 13,796,212 under police, 831,599 under DBKL and 434,003 under JPJ. “A total of 3,002,870 summonses issued by the three agencies in 2009 are also unpaid,” he said. New traffic compound rates will be effective from March 1 with offences divided into four categories and compounds ranging from RM40 to RM300. These are for offences such as speeding, beating the red light, overtaking on double lines and using the mobile phone without a hands-free kit while driving.