KUALA LUMPUR, May 31 — The Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) fully backs the proposed amendment that seeks to impose stiffer penalties against drunk drivers.

In fact, such a move should not be delayed any longer to ensure future offenders are subjected to heavier punishment, MCPF senior vice-chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said.

He said the issue of drink-driving should be given serious attention for all cases of driving under the influence regardless of whether they cause injuries and fatalities. 

"It is time the laws are reviewed and amended to suit present situations. Existing penalties do not seem to deter some who continue to get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol,” he said in a statement today.

Yesterday, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said there was a need to amend the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333) so that heavier penalties can be meted out on those driving under the influence.

Police statistics reveal that there were 21 road crashes involving drunk drivers over the last five months and of those, eight victims had lost their lives.

Lee proposed that the amendment not only focused on alcohol consumption but covered the abuse of drugs, medication or other substances that can cause effects while driving.

On top of this, the police must also conduct large scale operations and increase efforts to apprehend intoxicated drivers, he said.

Meanwhile, five persons aged between 41 and 49 were detained by police for drunk driving in an operation conducted in Petaling Jaya, Selangor early today, while four men aged 30-40 were arrested in another operation in Batu Pahat, Johor. — Bernama