Caught in the act

THE latest addition to the acronyms in the country is AES -- Automated Enforcement System.

It has stayed at the top of the ‘hot issues’ chart among politicians and the public for the past two weeks or so.

It’s hot. It’s record-breaking! Within eight days of operation, 14 units of AES along the highways in the peninsula have recorded a whooping 63,558 traffic offences.

The AES is high-tech automatic camera system installed at identified accident- prone locations for the sole purpose of reducing accidents and increasing the effectiveness of enforcement.

I first heard of this “camera” catching traffic offenders in the act some years ago from a friend who came back from America for a holiday.

We were on the road one day when our car was nearly hit by a vehicle jumping the red light.

While relating to me the system in the US, she also casually mentioned that the camera was breaking up families.

How on earth can traffic offence summonses contribute to the breakup of relationships?

As I was told, the camera, fixed near a traffic light, not only caught traffic offenders in the act of jumping the red light but also those who might have travelling companions other than their spouses. This had inevitably led to tension in the house.

But the authorities are not unplugging the system with its proven statistics of reducing road traffic accidents just because it has caused some domestic problems. Neither are the authorities igno-ring public outcry over the lack of efforts in arresting the worrying rise of road accidents (and deaths) in the country.

My friend said some places had done away with sending photographs together with the summonses but offenders could view them at the road transport offices if they so wished.

I thought that was brilliant.

From America to Malaysia – it is not about unfaithful spouses being “caught in the act” or at least, we have not read about someone raising the possible consequences of AES causing domestic tension.

The above notwithstanding, certain quarters have branded AES as “highway robbery.”

A certain mathematician was quick to do a mental calculation, saying with 63,558 offences in eight days, each camera actually recorded one offence in every two and half minutes!

At this rate, more than 170 million offences would be recorded each year after all the 831 cameras have been in-stalled.

This wise mathematician noted: “By 2020, the government’s main source of income will probably come from traffic summonses!

Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng was quick to weigh in on the issue, describing the system, in his usual boisterous manner, as “milking the rakyat for maximum profits” with a collection of RM51 billion annually based on RM300 for each summons.

Milking the rakyat? Not exactly – and  allow me to correct YAB LGE. It’s “milking” traffic offenders only. If you do not speed, jump the red light, you won’t be “milked.”  Plain and simple.

According to the Road Transport Department (RTD), nine per cent of our motorists are habitual traffic offenders. Let’s make no apology for capturing their acts on AES cameras and “milking” them by all means.

Having said that, LGE admittedly had a good point in questioning the existence of concessionaires, claiming that they would get RM15 for each of the first five million summonses issued on the first tier, 50 per cent of the balance of the revenue collected for the next RM540 million on second tier and 7.5 per cent of the revenue after that.

Now, the ball is in the RTD’s court to answer LGE’s question: “If we did something wrong, you summon us, no problem. But why when issuing summonses, certain individuals are making profits …”

But let’s not compromise public safety because of a pre-conceived notion over accountability of the money received from the traffic summonses. Neither should we allow it to further delay implementation of the system.

It is quite clear that the main aim of the system is to ensure drivers adhere to traffic rules and regulations for the sake of their own safety as well as that of other road users. It’s not about punishment or making profit.

Sarawak records 1.3 deaths on roads daily -- 65 percent due to human factor, as revealed by Infrastructure Development and Communication Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin recently.

He added that a study revealed Malaysian drivers are one of the most indisciplined.

The nation’s record is an average of 19 deaths due to road accidents.

With such an alarming record in mind, Mohamed Idris of the Consumer Asso-ciation of Penang (CAP) has wisely made this call: “AES should be enforced without further delay. Stop all these flip-flops in the name of saving lives. Stop dithering and continue with the implementation before we lose more lives.”

Enforcement of the system has been postponed three times already and Idris insisted there was “no justification to delay a  fourth time.”

If Idris is right, then what have the rakyat to say to the following  statement by Datuk Mohamed Aziz (BN-Gading): “The system has been postponed three times prior to this but we see it as more of a burden to the people after it is finally implemented. If possible, we hope the government can nullify the 60,000 traffic offenders identified through the system.

In the name of saving lives, pray there is no second Aziz who, for all we know, could also suggest a discount for summonses in the days ahead.

I love this quote from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel: Everything will be all right in the end, and if it is not all right, it is not the end.

NO COMPROMISE: In the next 18 months, AES will be installed at 831 locations throughout the nation to catch errant motorists in the act of committing traffic offences.