BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

The Demerit Points System (SiKAP) works because previously it was found that some people were less worried about committing traffic offences.

The Traffic Control and Investigation Department’s (JSKLL) Head of Operations and Enforcement, ASP Mohd Fathdillah Hj Abd Hamid, made the remark while speaking at a recent National Road Safety seminar.

He was explaining the relevance of SiKAP in response to a question from a member of the public.

The man said that even without SiKAP, if someone committed a traffic offence - for example, crashing into a lamp post - they would be fined twice: a compound case fine and another fine for damaging public property.

“Now with SiKAP, you accumulate points and could get your license suspended, so it seems as though these charges just keep piling up. How relevant is SiKAP then on top of the strict system we already had?” he said.

In response, Mohd Fathdillah said some people were undeterred by the charges because they were financially secure enough to cope with them.

“Take the example of speeding. Some drivers were less concerned about speeding because they could pay the compound case fine of $50.”

“So even though these charges seem to pile up, it’s better this way so the offenders really do fear committing these offences again and don’t take these charges lightly,” he said.

Recent statistics from JSKLL show that speeding remains the most common traffic offence (compound cases).

In 2012, there were over 5,200 cases of speeding, while last year, they declined to 4,800.

There have been 5,443 cases of speeding so far this year - 4,000 more than the second most common offence of parking in undesignated areas, with 1,300 cases.

The 5,443 speeding cases also account for more than half of the total compound cases recorded so far this year at 10,288.

But Mohd Fathdillah said he remains optimistic about the Sultanate’s drivers and believes that traffic etiquette in Brunei is still in good shape and can improve.

“I think it’s still not too late for errant drivers in Brunei to change because I can still see that at its core, our drivers still have a basic sense of respect for others when on the road.”

Speaking to The Brunei Times, he advised those who committed speeding offences to pay the $50 compound case fine.

“Because if the speeding fine is not paid even after three warnings have been issued, what started out as a $50 fine could increase to as much as $350,” he said.

According to JSKLL data, over 5,600 offenders were booked under SiKAP between October 1, 2013 and October 31, 2014. Of this figure, 3,029 were fined.

Of this, a total of 160 traffic offenders received 18 demerit points, 61 drivers got 21 demerit points and eight had their driving licences suspended with 24 demerit points.

The Brunei Times