KUALA LUMPUR: The government is formulating a mechanism to seize assets and impose additional jail terms on drunk or drug-impaired drivers who fail to pay compensation to road crash victims or the families of those killed.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the measures would ensure compensation orders under amendments to the Road Transport Act provide meaningful recourse, particularly when offenders claim they cannot afford to pay.
"Under existing provisions in other laws, if an offender is unable to pay compensation, a heavier fine or an additional prison sentence may be imposed.
"We are also looking into whether the offender's assets can be seized to ensure that compensation is actually paid to the next of kin," he said in the Dewan Rakyat.
He was answering a supplementary question from Datuk Ahmad Saad @ Yahaya (PN-Pokok Sena) on protecting families of fatal road crash victims when offenders lack the means to pay compensation.
Earlier, responding to Ahmad's question on amending the Road Transport Act to provide a legal basis for compensation to families of victims killed by drunk drivers, Loke said the Transport Ministry planned to table the amendments in parliament early next year.
Loke also said the government would revamp the demerit points system, which he described as ineffective because points are deducted only after offenders settle their traffic summonses, weakening its deterrent effect.
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