PUTRAJAYA, May 13 — A new funding mechanism to channel half of the overall AwAS summons collected by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) to implement road safety initiatives has been proposed and agreed upon today.

Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said the decision, made during today’s Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Congestion meeting, will be forwarded to the Cabinet at the soonest for approval.

“The committee has agreed on a new funding mechanism policy for road safety initiatives where a request will be made with the Finance Ministry to channel 50 per cent of the overall AwAS summonses collected back to the Transport Ministry for implementation.

“Said initiatives include installations of street lights at several fatal accident hotspots identified to improve visibility in the area,” he said during a press conference at the Prime Minister’s Department here.

Loke said the committee has identified three hotspots along the Senawang-Ayer Keroh stretch.

Additional lighting will be installed to illuminate these areas at night to reduce future accidents.

“This follows a fatal accident last year involving a lorry and a bus, which claimed seven lives in a poorly lit area near Ayer Keroh,” he said.

Loke was referring to the devastating multi-vehicle collision on December 23 last year when an overloaded lorry tyre detached on the North-South Expressway near the Ayer Keroh R&R area in Melaka, striking a tour bus, causing the driver to lose control and veer into opposing traffic where it collided with a trailer, a Perodua Bezza, and a Toyota Estima MPV.

Until today’s decision, Loke said there had been no dedicated funding provided to the Transport Ministry for the implementation of such initiatives previously.

“With this decision, we now hope to secure a more consistent revenue stream that will enable us to implement mitigation measures to reduce the risk of road accidents,” he said.