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 Analysis information

IF you have been reading the news, it seems like almost every other day, someone is involved in a drink driving accident and innocent lives are lost.Statistics between 2010 and 2018 showed that there were 2,364 accidents related to drink driving, with 1,196 people killed.On average, 132 people are killed annually or one person is killed in a drink driving-related accident every three days.It was reported that the World Health Organisation even marked Malaysia as one of 35 nations with a “high” rate of drink driving accidents.

Last month, 316 motorists were caught for drink driving.In 2019, 919 individuals were nabbed for the offence while in 2018, 862 were booked for driving under the influence of alcohol.These numbers suggest the problem is serious and, likely, rising.It was reported on Friday that in a bid to arrest drink driving accidents, the police are conducting a daily operation codenamed Ops Mabuk nationwide.

Crucially, with the number of crashes and deaths mounting, particularly in the past two months, our drink drinking law has to be reviewed.The government should not hesitate to impose a stiffer penalty and sentence on these irresponsible and reckless road users.They should also whip out severe punishments for road killers.Killing a person under the influence of alcohol or drugs is akin to premeditated murder.Any drinker can tell you that even before they take the first sip, they know that if they get drunk and get into an accident, they could possibly kill someone.

Therefore, there is no excuse for the government not to punish them severely.The proposal to double the punishment for drink driving from 10 years’ jail to 20 years and from a RM20,000 fine to RM100,000 under Section 44(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 should be supported.It’s not a harsh punishment if a drink driving accident claims a life.Stricter penalty for drink driving is long overdue in Malaysia.The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) 2012 research revealed that a drunk driver is 13 times more prone to cause an accident, compared to a sober person.But it’s not just about enforcing tougher penalties.Malaysia is also known to be one of the most tolerant countries in the world in terms of the permitted blood alcohol content (BAC) limit.Malaysia’s BAC is 0.08 but countries like Taiwan and Japan impose a much lower BAC – 0.05 and 0.03 respectively – to make it legally intoxicated.

Studies have also proven that a higher BAC decreases one’s reaction time and alertness on the road, especially after drinking.Therefore, Malaysia should not only impose a stricter sentence for drink driving but lower the permitted BAC limit – perhaps to a zero-tolerance policy to discourage drink driving.There is an urgency for this new law to be introduced. There is a need for the government to start pushing for its basic legal framework and allow the proposal to be tabled in Parliament sooner.Tougher laws need to be introduced to safeguard innocent lives.Meanwhile, for those who drink, don’t drive; value life.