BUDI95 Programme Set To Impact Unlicensed Drivers, Says Activist

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- The BUDI MADANI RON95 (BUDI95) initiative is expected to raise road safety awareness, especially among private vehicle owners and drivers without a valid driving or riding licence.

Road safety and sustainable transport activist Shahrim Tamrin said  the initiative would directly affect three main groups - vehicle owners without a licence, individuals who have failed to renew their expired licences for over three years, and those who have never had a driving or riding licence.

These groups are particularly common in small towns, rural areas, villages, and plantations.

Shahrim, a former board member of the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), said the issue stems from the lack of strict control in the automotive industry, which allows vehicles to be bought without requiring proof of a valid driving licence.

"It has been common practice in the automotive industry, without government regulation, for individuals without a driving or riding licence to buy new or used cars or motorcycles from dealers," he said in a statement today.

According to him, weak enforcement of the need to renew road tax and insurance has worsened the situation. Data from the Road Transport Department (JPJ) shows a significant gap between the number of vehicles purchased and road tax renewals over the past seven years.

Shahrim added that JPJ's recent statement revealing that 2.3 million driving licences are inactive exposes the public's casual attitude toward holding a valid licence.

With the introduction of BUDI95, he said, this will directly and indirectly force errant road users without active licences for more than three years to re-sit the driving licence test.

If the BUDI95 mechanism runs smoothly with a solid JPJ database over the next 24 months, Shahrim expects a ripple effect, especially against stubborn groups including the T15 category, who will be forced to ensure that their driving licences and road taxes are valid.

Shahrim also suggested that BUDI95 could be an early indication that the government may draft new laws to ensure that anyone who wants to own a motorised vehicle must have a valid driving or riding licence.

Last Monday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a reduction in the price of RON95 petrol to RM1.99 per litre from RM2.05, as part of the targeted subsidy programme under BUDI95.

According to the Finance Ministry, the BUDI95 system will first be rolled out to 300,000 military and police personnel on Sept 27, followed by Rahmah Cash Assistance (STR) recipients on Sept 28,  and finally for 16 million Malaysians aged 16 and above with a MyKad and a valid driving licence on Sept 30.

-- BERNAMA