KUALA LUMPUR: There are some who can afford luxury performance vehicles, but apparently cannot afford the road tax for such vehicles.
Perhaps such was the case when police and Road Transport Department (RTD) officers stopped the driver of a Ferrari during a joint operation at the Gombak toll plaza of the Karak Highway on Saturday.
Checks on the vehicle revealed that the road tax had expired 10 years ago.
Selangor Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department (TEID) chief Superintendent Azman Shariat said the case of the Ferrari was just one of hundreds of traffic offences revealed in the joint operation, carried out for two days beginning Saturday morning.
He said 572 summonses were issued for various traffic offences at the toll plaza as well as Jalan Batang Kali-Genting.
Azman said the operation was mainly focused on luxury vehicles and high-powered motorcycles, adding that it had been found that such vehicles frequently used Karak Highway and Jalan Batng Kali-Genting as “racing circuits” over the weekend.
“The operation also included TEID personnel from federal police headquarters in Bukit Aman, National Anti-Drug Agency (Nada) officers and the Department of Environment.
“Police alone issued 355 summonses for various offences. Of these, 94 had to do with driving licences, 31 for lack of side view mirrors, 54 for offences involving road tax, 90 for registration number plates which did not meet proper specifications, 12 for failure to wear safety belts, six for using emergency lanes, 15 for offences involving ‘L’ and ‘P’ licences, and 49 for various other traffic offences.”
Azman was speaking to reporters at the end of the operation.
He said police also detained eight men for drug-related offences, reckless driving, driving under the influence of alcohol and using false number plates.
“A Vietnamese woman was also detained as she did not have any valid travel documents on her. Meanwhile, the RTD issued 217 summonses for various offences, while Nada conducted urine tests on 75 individuals and detained 16 who tested positive for drug use,” he said.
Azman said TEID had received information that the highway was frequently used as a “venue” for “testing” high-powered motorcycles and luxury sports cars, adding that this sort of behaviour was dangerous and posed a risk to other road users.
“And it’s not just these offences. We often find that they commit other traffic offences as well, such as driving without licences or licences which do not match the class of vehicle; expired road taxes, such as in the case of the Ferrari owner; registration plates which do not meet proper specifications; and, illegally modifying their vehicles,” he said.