Does the RM500 hike risk hitting lower income road users harder?

Question

Accepted Answer

The RM500 traffic fine hike is framed as a maximum rate, not a flat penalty across all offences
Transport Minister Anthony Loke defended the move to raise traffic violation penalties to RM500, after Opposition lawmakers raised concerns it could disproportionately penalise lower income road users. Loke said the RM500 figure is a maximum rate and that authorities can impose lower fines depending on the specific case, including the type and seriousness of the violation, the duration of payment, and the implementation policy.
Loke says RM500 is not applied to every offence
Loke stated that not all offences would be “slapped with a RM500 compound.” He described RM500 as the maximum rate that takes into account factors such as the type of traffic violation and its seriousness, rather than a single amount applied universally.
Fines can be set case-by-case rather than automatically capped at RM500
He said fines can be imposed on a case-to-case basis, which means the penalty level can vary instead of treating lesser offences the same as more serious ones. In the minister’s explanation, authorities consider the violation’s characteristics and the timing aspects tied to payment.
Payment timing policy is used to determine the amount
Loke also pointed to an existing policy that “the quicker you pay the less you’d have to.” He tied this to his argument that the RM500 rate is not across the board, indicating that payment timeliness can affect how much a motorist ultimately faces.
Opposition lawmakers questioned the fairness for lower income drivers
Opposition lawmakers expressed concern that the penalty increase could hit lower income road users harder. Loke’s response directly addressed that point by emphasising that the RM500 figure is a ceiling, with lower fines possible based on the specifics of each violation and payment timing.

Reading history

Hide →

This history is cleared when the page is closed.

Does the RM500 hike risk hitting lower income road users harder?

Loading

Was this article helpful?

Helpful

Not helpful

Report an issue

1

0

0

Share with friends