Singaporeans owe Malaysia over S$1M in traffic fines; tops list as the biggest foreign traffic offender

SINGAPORE: When it comes to foreign offenders who have unpaid outstanding traffic summonses in Malaysia, Singaporean drivers top the list, followed by drivers from Brunei and Thailand.

Singaporean offenders owe the Malaysian authorities an estimated RM3.5 million, or around S$1,041,970, the Malay Mail reported on Aug 13 (Tuesday).

For offences between 1990 and June 2024, there are almost 41 million outstanding traffic summonses, for which RM4 billion (S$1.19 billion) has yet to be paid.

Among them, foreign nationals from Singapore, Brunei, and Thailand incurred 51,128 summonses and are responsible for RM5.1 million (S$1.52 million) in fines. A big bulk of the summonses— 35,011— were incurred by Singaporeans.

The offenders were caught committing the following: speeding, running a red light, using a communication device or phone while driving, cutting queues, driving in an emergency lane, and overtaking on a double-line.

Bukit Aman’s Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) director, Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri was quoted in a Utusan Malaysia report on Aug 14 that traffic offenders would be given notices to let them know about the fines they’ve been slapped with.

“Since 1990 until June this year, a total of 40,962,240 summonses, with an estimated value of RM4 billion, have not been settled,” he said, adding, “So, please pay promptly before legal action is taken and you are blacklisted by JPJ.”

He noted that offenders are not even required to make an in-person appearance at a Malaysian police station to pay their fines. They can pay cashless through MyBayar instead, he said.

Otherwise, those who fail to deal with their offences run the risk of being blacklisted by Malaysia’s Road Transport Department.

Foreign traffic offenders, meanwhile, will be under increased scrutiny from the Foreigners’ Outstanding Summons Operation (OSTWA), which will monitor and take action against them.

As for discounts on the fines, Mr Mohd Yusri said these are given at authorities’ discretion based on agency requests.

He added, however, that when offenders settle their fines within one month, they automatically get a 50 per cent discount, which is indicated on the schedule at the back of the summons.

“Every year, we actively promote to encourage them to pay, and we do manage to collect quite a bit. The latest collection is estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of ringgit,” the JSPT) director added. /TISG

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