SHAH ALAM, June 13 — The demerit point system for traffic offences (Kejara) will undergo a major overhaul as it is not effective in its current state, Transport Minister Anthony Loke had said.

Currently, the Kejara only issues a demerit when a summons is paid.

“The system is that, only if you have paid the summons, then you will be considered to have committed an offence and then your points are deducted.

“Our problem is, many people don’t pay their summonses. So this system is a failed system.

“As the transport minister, I’m openly admitting that this is a failed system because if the demerit points are only deducted once a summons is paid, then offenders will think that it’s better to not pay up,” Loke told reporters after his work visit to the Scania Malaysia headquarters here today.

He stressed that the government will continue with Kejara, but it will undergo major changes.

“Firstly, it will not be a point system that is based on a paid summon.

“We are already looking into it from the aspects of law and its application,” he said.

The Kejara demerit point system was introduced in 2016.

In September 2018, the Transport Ministry released an updated demerit point system as a part of its new Automated Awareness Safety System (AWAS), with changes to the scoring and levels at which penalties are applied.