KUALA LUMPUR, June 1 — A 44-year-old man died in the wee hours this morning after a 21-year-old driver suspected of drink-driving was believed to have crashed into his motorcycle at a highway in Kuala Lumpur, the police has said.
Kuala Lumpur Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department chief ACP Zulkefly Yahya said that the fatal road accident occurred at around 1.30am this morning at the Sultan Iskandar Highway heading to the Kuala Lumpur city centre.
The accident involved 44-year-old victim Mohamed Zaili Mohamed who was a contract worker residing in Bukit Antarabangsa, Selangor and who was on a red motorcycle of the Honda Ex5 model, while the driver is a 21-year-old youth who was driving a dark blue Nissan Grand Livina.
Zulkefly said Mohamed's motorcycle was believed to have been struck from behind by the Nissan Grand Livina while he was on the way home to his residence in Bukit Antarabangsa after delivering food sold by his wife.
“As a result of that hit, the victim crashed to the left shoulder of the road and his motorcycle was dragged about 2km from the location that was hit by the Nissan Grand Livina. The driver stopped the vehicle under the Titiwangsa LRT station's pedestrian bridge after being detained by the public,” he said.
According to Zulkefly, the motorcyclist sustained severe injuries to the head and died on the spot, while the driver did not sustain any injuries. The back part of the motorcycle was found damaged, while the Nissan Grand Livina's front parts were found damaged.
While photos of the incident showed a FoodPanda food delivery pack, Zulkefly has confirmed that the motorcyclist was not a rider under the food delivery service, clarifying that the motorcyclist was delivering food prepared by his wife.
The driver was arrested and brought to the Jalan Tun HS Lee police station, with screening tests showing that there was alcohol content detected in the man's breath, Zulkefly said.
The police are investigating the case under Section 44(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
Section 44(1) covers the offence of driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs, with the crime being driving while under the influence to the extent of being incapable of having proper control of the vehicle or having alcohol levels in the body beyond the prescribed limits and causing the death or injury of any person.
The offence is punishable by a jail term of between three to 10 years, and a fine of between RM8,000 to RM20,000, with conviction also resulting in the offender being disqualified from having a driving licence for not less than five years from conviction date, while repeat offenders would be barred for 10 years from conviction date from having a driving licence.
In a separate statement, Kuala Lumpur police chief CP Datuk Seri Mazlan Lazim confirmed the facts of the case where the motorcycle was dragged about 2.2km from the incident scene, adding that the Evidential Breath Analyser screening test on the suspect showed that the alcohol content in his breath had exceeded limits.
Mazlan said the driver will be remanded for further investigation.
“The Kuala Lumpur police seriously views the issue of drunk drivers that put the lives of other road users in danger. To curb this issue, the police will carry out more operations.
“Besides that, the public is also advised to be more responsible and not to be selfish, by avoiding from driving the vehicles themselves if they are intoxicated,” Mazlan said, adding that those with queries or information to share could contact the Jalan Tun HS Lee police station at 03-20719999 or the Kuala Lumpur police hotline at 03-21159999 or any nearest police station.
