Under the law, emergency lanes are meant for emergencies, not to speed up your travelling time.
It was reported that 2 motorcyclists died in an accident along the North-South Expressway at KM228 near Ayer Keroh, Malacca on Sunday (22nd May) at 4:30pm. The ambulance was dispatched in 20 minutes but it took them about an hour to arrive at the scene, simply because vehicles were blocking the emergency lane.
The Road Transport Department (JPJ) Enforcement Division chief Datuk V. Valluvan said that 91 vehicles blocked the way of an ambulance along an emergency lane heading to the accident scene. According to a video recording, 7 out of the 91 vehicles were identified and they will be will be taken to court.
“We are going all out to investigate the matter and offenders will not be issued a compound (which is usually RM300) but directly charged in court under Section 53 of the Road Transport Act 1957 which carries a maximum fine of RM2,000 or 6-month or both,” Valluvan said to reporters after a dialogue session with Johor state JPJ enforcement officers on Thursday (26th May).
https://youtu.be/QPsxa2xKK9I
He added that such strict actions was necessary because the abuse of emergency lanes are getting out of hand, particularly on highways during peak hours.
What do you think about people abusing the emergency lanes? Let us know in the comments below!
Sources: The Star, Free Malaysia Today, The Sun.
