'Ops Selamat' Northern Zone: 35 fatal accidents reported, 91 summonses issued

A total of 35 fatal accidents involving motorcyclists were recorded and 91 summonses issued during the 11 days of 'Ops Selamat' carried out in the northern zone in conjunction with Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (Northern Zone) 'Ops Selamat' Subtech Commander, Supt Ahmad Adnan Basri said the police had focused on six traffic offences which were major contributors to road accidents.

"Our task is to ensure smooth traffic flow during the festive celebrations and at the same time, maintain the safety of road users," he told reporters after the operation at the Juru R&R here.

He said as many as 91 summonses were issued by the police and among offences were failure to comply with traffic lights (six), driving in emergency lane (43), queue jumping (19), using mobile phone while driving (eight), and not wearing seat belts (15).

Meanwhile, the department's highway commander, ASP Hazil Reza Mohd Ghazali said since the start of Ops Selamat on June 29, a total of 1,019 summonses were issued to motorists for using the emergency lanes on the North-South Highway (PLUS).

He said the number of summonses had reduced significantly as compared to 6,000 summonses issued in 2014, and 4,000 for the corresponding period last year.

According to Hazil Reza, the decline in summonses was due to the strict law enforcement, in addition to frequent media announcement warning the public of action against errant motorists.

"For the northern zone of the PLUS highway, the summonses were mostly issued at the Slim River, Tanjung Malim and Juru, Penang exits," he told a press conference at the Tapah R&R, Sunday.

He said there were not many vehicles on the road between July 2 and July 5 as road users travelled according to the time table provided by PLUS.

"However, the highway congestion is expected to continue until tomorrow evening as some people have not returned to the capital, and the worst congestion will be at Menora Tunnel, Gua Tempurung, Simpang Pulai and Tapah," added Hazil Reza.