KUALA LUMPUR: The views of the public will be sought on whether heavier punishments should be imposed against underage drivers, says Datuk Hasbi Habibollah.
The Deputy Transport Minister said this was due to the high number of underage drivers caught on the road over the last four years.
“From 2021 to 2024, there were over 3,000 recorded cases of underage driving.
“In fact there have already been 578 summons issued for underage driving from Jan 1 to Feb 29 this year alone,” he said when answering a question raised by Captain (Rtd) Azahari Hasan (PN-Padang Rengas) in the Dewan Rakyat on Wednesday (March 13).
Other than penalties, he said the ministry and its relevant agencies would also continue to focus on providing education and awareness on the dangers of underage driving.
“We will also work to provide facilities they need to learn to drive responsibly upon reaching legal age,” he said.
Currently under Section 26(2) of the Road Transport Act 1987, underage drivers can face fines of up to RM2,000 or imprisonment of up to six months, or both if convicted.
In November last year, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the ministry would conduct a review on fines against underage drivers as stipulated under the Road Transport Act 1987.
This came after a 16-year-old unlicensed driver was involved in a fatal crash that took the lives of a motorcyclist and his pillion rider on the Penang Bridge on November 12 2023.
Recently on February 24, police detained a 25-year-old man for allowing a 13-year-old boy to drive a car without a license at a playground.
