SEPANG: Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai today announced that authorities will start penalising traffic offenders using demerit points under the Automated Awareness Safety System (Awas) beginning April 15.
He said although Awas had started on April 1, road users were given two weeks of grace period before they were slapped with demerit points.
"During the grace period, road offenders caught on camera are given notifices, but no demerit points will be awarded to them," he told reporters at the 5th Global Meeting of NGOs advocating road safety and road victims.
Aimed to reduce road accidents, Awas sophisticated systems include closed-circuit camera system and the use of IT to identify and trace all traffic offenders in a short time. Traffic offenders will be warned, compound, suspended (licence) and blacklisted for offences such as speeding and beating the red light.
Awas, which was slated for implementation in May 2016, had to be postponed due to some technical problems and legislation related to the Road Transport Department.
Awas involves 21 cameras in high risk accident areas nationwide, including in Pagoh, site of the express bus horror crash.
On outstanding Automated Enforcement System (AES) summonses, Liow reiterated road offenders must pay them or risked being blacklisted that they could not renew their road tax.