Improve enforcement before enhancing any penalty

LETTER | You do not need a sledgehammer to kill a fly, as the saying goes. Increasing the penalty for drink driving is premature without first looking to improve the integrity and efficiency of enforcement in all the relevant agencies involved.

The purpose of any mode of enforcement, and subsequently the penalties concerned, is to act foremost as an effective deterrence.

The frequency of enforcement must move parallel with the seriousness of offences and locations where there are high incidents of the related offences. Punitive measures are only secondary to the intent of such preventive measures.

Fatal accidents, injuries and damage to property caused by drink driving are also prevalent in non-alcohol related mishaps! Thus focussing only on drink driving may not have a significant impact on the whole situation pertaining to similar offences.

The logistics, manpower and time taken to focus on drink driving may not be worth it if the statistics show only a minor decrease in the numbers.

The present laws pertaining to drink driving offences are adequate and stiff enough. The problem lies in the lack of effective enforcement, apart from the lackadaisical attitude and integrity of all concerned.

The belief that one can get out of an offence in the street by greasing palms and exemption by positions of influence, must be eliminated completely from the system.

A lot of room for improvement

The manner of how enforcement is carried out has a lot of room for improvement and the authorities concerned should explore the logistics and manpower aspects of all the enforcement agencies concerned. This will enable the relevant enforcers to constantly and consistently enforce the law.

The hefty fine proposed may not be proportionately fair in comparison to other more serious crimes. We must acknowledge that drinking alcohol by itself does not constitute an offence and that is the reason why there are limits when readings are taken.

We have to approach the whole issue holistically and practically, without being prejudiced by personal sentiments. Education and persuasive guides on moderation are also key elements to prevent drink driving.

We should take a leaf out of many developed countries that have a better track record in handling the same issues with alcohol-related problems and offences. Any study must take into account all the relevant experiences and statistics.

Efficiency in enforcement must include stepping up the frequency of operations in all aspects of traffic offences, be these minor or major. Focussing only on certain types of offences will not make a significant impact.

The fact remains that traffic offences are happening all the time, regardless of whether these are alcohol-related or not!

Will such heavier penalties encourage deterrence or create more aggressive evasion from the rule of law?

The stakeholders must be crystal clear on all aspects of the matter before adopting such severe penalties, lest it becomes counterproductive.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.