27/03/2026

FRIDAY | MAR 27, 2026

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Safety concern over lack of speed limit enforcement

sentenced to 12 months in prison by the Magistrate’s Court here for gross indecency. Magistrate Nadratun Naim Mohd Saidi meted out the sentence on M. Jegathesan, 58, and Halila Abu Bakar, 37, after they pleaded guilty to the charge here yesterday. They were charged with jointly committing gross indecency at a Chinese Cemetery at Batu Gantung, Ayer Itam, at 8.30am on March 22. The charge, under Section 377D of the Penal Code, read together with Section 34 of the same law, provides a maximum prison sentence of two years. According to the facts of the case, the incident came to light after a video was widely shared on Facebook showing two individuals engaging in indecent behaviour at the cemetery. Man held over insulting Prophet Muhammad KUALA LUMPUR: Police detained a 47-year-old local man suspected of insulting Prophet Muhammad over a Facebook post that was widely circulated recently. Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Fadil Marsus said a report was received at 1.30am last Sunday regarding the offensive post uploaded by an account using the name “Sakti Sakti Sakti”. He said the suspect was arrested by a police team at 8.32pm on Wednesday in Butterworth, Penang. “A mobile phone believed to have been used to upload the post was also seized,” he said in a statement. He added that a three-day remand order has been obtained until today to facilitate investigations. The case is being investigated under Section 298A of the Penal Code for causing disharmony or enmity on religious grounds, Section 505(c) of the Penal Code for statements made with intent to incite and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998 for improper use of network facilities. Fadil advised the public not to upload or share content touching on religious, racial or royal sensitivities. “Action without compromise will be taken against any individual who violates the law.” – Bernama

o Surge in road crashes during Raya period indicate current system still facing gaps in monitoring and implementation: Miros chief

among motorists. Hairolazaman said the continued misuse of emergency lanes and poor adherence to safe following distances, further highlight gaps in compliance, despite repeated enforcement efforts and safety reminders. He said such misuse not only violates traffic rules but also hampers emergency response, while failure to maintain safe distances continues to contribute to chain collisions, particularly during holiday traffic surges. “There is still room for improvement, especially in the misuse of emergency lanes and the failure to maintain a safe following distance, both of which continue to contribute to road safety risks,” he said. However, he said stricter enforcement has proven effective in improving compliance when motorists perceive a higher risk of being caught and penalised. “Strict enforcement has a direct effect on compliance. This shows that drivers are more likely to obey the rules when the risk of being detected and fined is high,” he said. He pointed to the implementation of Speed Limitation Devices for commercial vehicles as an example, citing Transport Minister Anthony Loke’s statement in the Dewan Rakyat in December 2025 that compliance had risen from 2.68% in October 2025 to 48.37% by December following stricter enforcement. – By Faiz Ruzman while studies show drivers in Malaysia typically travel up to 20km/h above posted limits. Wong said with festive traffic still heavy, the priority must remain on stricter compliance and stronger enforcement – not higher speed limits. “For enforcement to be effective, it must be sure, swift and severe. “People must know they will be caught, the action must reach them quickly enough for them to realise they have done something wrong, and the penalty must be severe enough to discourage repeat behaviour.” On March 6, Transport Minister Anthony Loke said in a written Dewan Negara reply to Senator Baharuddin Ahmad that Putrajaya had no immediate plans to raise the maximum highway speed limit for light vehicles to 130km/h. He said any revision must be carefully evaluated based on accident data, highway design, road user compliance and overall safety, adding that police statistics showed speeding-related accidents rose from 204 cases in 2024 to 239 in 2025. The Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department reported 1,649 road crashes and 15 deaths nationwide on March 24, compared with 1,654 crashes and 14 deaths the previous day, according to a Facebook update yesterday.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian motorists’ discipline on the roads remains driven more by fear of being caught than a genuine commitment to safety, with risky behaviour quickly resurfacing once congestion eases, said the Malaysian Road and Transportation Safety Association. Association president Md Hairolazaman Muhamed Nor said compliance during peak travel periods is often circumstantial rather than self-driven, as many drivers only slow down when traffic conditions force them to do so. “Driver discipline is still more about fear of being caught than awareness of safety. As long as the mentality of ‘as long as I don’t get fined’ remains, there will still be room to improve compliance through education and technology,” he told theSun. Hairolazaman said this pattern is particularly evident during festive travel periods when heavy congestion can create the impression of orderly driving, even though underlying attitudes remain unchanged. “When traffic is very congested, drivers are effectively forced to comply with the speed limit. “But once the road starts to clear, especially on overtaking lanes or after accident areas, some begin driving aggressively again to make up for lost time,” he said. He described this as “forced discipline”, noting that it reflects road conditions rather than a stronger sense of responsibility Wong also cautioned against the perception that modern or more powerful vehicles were inherently safer at higher speeds, noting that crash protection standards were tested at far lower thresholds than many motorists assume. “People may say cars are more advanced now, more powerful and more modern, and therefore they can go faster. “That does not mean the car can protect you at those speeds. “Under international safety regulations, frontal crash protection is tested at 56km/h, while a five-star Asean New Car Assessment Programme vehicle is tested at 64km/h. “For side impacts, the protection threshold is even lower, at 48km/h.” He said this was why lower speed limits were enforced in pedestrian heavy areas. “Where pedestrians and cyclists are exposed, survivability drops sharply once speed rises. “That is why zones such as school areas move towards limits of 30km/h, not higher,” he said. He added that reducing speed remained the simplest and most effective safety measure available to drivers. The Malaysia Road Safety Plan 2022–2030 states that Miros in-depth crash investigations found 41.7% of 367 cases were linked to speeding

Ű BY FAIZ RUZMAN newsdesk@thesundaily.com

He said the current system still faced gaps in both monitoring technology and enforcement consistency, pointing to speed cameras as one of the most effective tools that Malaysia still lacks in sufficient numbers. “Speed cameras make enforcement more certain, but at this stage, we still do not have enough of them. “What we want is to reach a stage where drivers do not want to speed, because that becomes their behaviour. “Point-to-point monitoring over a stretch, rather than just at one spot, can help train that behaviour,” he told theSun. Wong cited Australia as an example, where wider camera coverage and point-to-point enforcement over longer stretches – rather than single-location monitoring – have proven more effective in shaping driver behaviour. He said China’s extensive use of warning systems for speed, red-light and seatbelt violations further reinforced compliance.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s road safety problem is not how fast motorists are allowed to drive, but how rarely speed limits are enforced, experts warn, as Aidilfitri traffic surges and accident risks climb. Malaysia’s Hari Raya travel period over the past week has been marked by a relentless surge in road crashes, with more than 1,500 recorded daily as millions took to the roads for their balik kampung journeys and the return trip. Fatalities have remained stubbornly high, fluctuating between 14 and 26 deaths a day in recent days – a grim reminder of how quickly risks escalate during festive periods and how persistently deadly the roads remain. Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) chairman Prof Dr Wong Shaw Voon said the more pressing issue was not whether speed limits should be raised, but whether existing rules were enforced credibly enough to change driver behaviour.

Motorists’ discipline driven by fear not safety: Expert

Couple get one year jail for lewd act at cemetery GEORGE TOWN: A couple who were caught engaging in lewd acts at a cemetery last Sunday were

Jegathesan and Halila plead guilty to a charge of jointly committing gross indecency yesterday. – BE R NAMA PIC

supporting his wife, who suffered a stroke, and their two children. Halila is single and financially dependent on her family. The case drew public attention after a 38-second video circulated online, showing the couple being confronted by a woman who warned them that she would report the incident to the authorities. – Bernama

Deputy public prosecutor Lau Shavin urged the court to impose an appropriate sentence as a deterrent, taking into account the public nature of the offence and sensitivities surrounding the location. Counsel R. Purantharan, representing both accused,

A complainant who viewed the clip was instructed by the cemetery management to lodge a police report. Teen girl among five remanded in baby death case appealed for leniency, citing Jegathesan’s role as a security guard earning RM1,800 monthly and

MALACCA: A 19-year-old girl believed to be the mother of a baby whose skeletal remains were found buried in front of her family home in Kelemak four months ago, is among five individuals remanded to assist investigations.

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Also the teenager’s boyfriend and three family members – her mother, sister and 16-year-old brother. Meanwhile in the capital, a newborn baby girl was discovered in a rubbish bin outside a house in remanded were

Wednesday. Ampang Jaya District Police chief ACP Khairul Anuar Khalid said police received a report from a local man, who is also the occupant of the house, at 6.27pm. – Bernama