The Road Transport Department (JPJ) continues to take strict action against individuals who disobey the seat belt wearing instructions on express buses, when more than 200 summonses were issued since enforcement began on July 1.
The enforcement measure was announced on June 29 as part of efforts to improve the safety of public transport users.
Each offense involving failure to wear a seat belt will be subject to a compound of RM300 each, including for passengers who gave excuses such as “didn’t know”, “got caught” and “the seat belt didn’t fit”.
According to JPJ, a total of 52 offenses were recorded on the first day of the operation, while the rest were detected in several states including Kuala Lumpur, Terengganu and Johor in follow-up operations.
The authorities stressed that each driver and passenger who fails to wear a seat belt can be subject to a compound of RM300, while drivers who fail to warn passengers before the trip can also be subject to action along with the operating company.
Terengganu JPJ director Mohd Zamri Samion said his party would not compromise on safety compliance issues and stressed that it was a shared responsibility between operators, drivers and passengers.
This enforcement involves all buses built on or after 1 January 2020, while buses built before that date will be given a period of time to reinstall the safety equipment.
