RTD to suspend or revoke permit of driving institutes found to have many traffic offenders

KOTA BHARU: The Road Transport Department (RTD) will suspend or revoke the permit of driving institutes if many of their former students are found to have committed traffic offences and been involved in road accidents.

RTD director-general Datuk Zailani Hashim said the move would be done by placing a code on the driving licence to detect which institute the traffic offenders received their training from.

However, he said the method was still at the planning stage and was expected to be listed under the e-Testing system which will be implemented nationwide in April this year.

He said this to reporters at Akademi Memandu Anda Sdn Bhd, Melor, here today with Malaysia Road Transport Academy director Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan also present.

Elaborating, Zailani said based on existing records, there are 10,569 driving instructors in Malaysia certified in line with Rule 11(4) of the Motor Vehicles (Driving Schools) Rules 1992.

"However, there is a backlog of 1,779 applications due to restrictions on activities such as courses, seminars and workshops enforced by the government previously," he said.

He added that based on statistics from the police Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department and RTD, 80 per cent of road accidents were due to human negligence.

-- BERNAMA