KUALA LUMPUR: Police today deployed drones to go after motorcyclists not using their designated lane,on the Federal Highway.
Petaling Jaya Police Chief ACP Shahrulnizam Ja’afar said that the drone support for the operation, which began at 11am, was provided by the Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Division of the Petaling Jaya District Police Headquarters (IPD) in cooperation with the Bukit Aman Air Operations Force (PGU).
“In just half an hour of this operation, we’ve issued 32 summonses, including those we stopped directly and those recorded via drone footage, which will be followed up with traffic reports to compile a complete report.
“Even though these offenders think they’ve escaped today, drones have actually captured their registration numbers and summonses will be sent to them under POL 170A for further action,” he said at a press conference on the operation.
The operation was also joined by Selangor Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief Supt Edward Kondokor.
Commenting on the behaviour of certain motorcyclists who act like ‘road thugs’, Shahrulnizam said riders must control their emotions and be aware of the offences they commit when travelling on the major Klang Valley artery as they are not using the designated motorcycle lane.
“If they use the highway, they also face a higher risk of injury due to accidents, so today’s motorcycle operation aims to minimise accident cases.
“This targeted operation focuses on enforcement against motorcycle users, given that 70 percent of road fatalities involve motorcyclists,” he said.
He added that the number of accidents involving motorcyclists on the Federal Highway under the jurisdiction of the Petaling Jaya police has increased, with 204 cases recorded this year – an increase of 35.1 percent or 53 cases compared to 151 cases last year.
“For this district, 52 deaths were recorded last year, while this year, 34 deaths have already been recorded as of May.
“So we’ve taken this initiative so that road users, especially motorcyclists, realise it is both an offence and a danger to use the highway when a dedicated motorcycle lane has already been provided,” he said.
He also advised highway concession companies to ensure that motorcycle lanes are safe for riders in terms of lighting and road conditions to prevent any unwanted incidents.
