BATU KAWAN, March 18 — The Penang Road Transport Department (JPJ) is intensifying its advocacy programmes during Ops Hari Raya Aidilfitri (HRA) 2026, aiming to reduce road accidents by 10 per cent throughout the festive season.
State JPJ director Zulkifly Ismail said more face-to-face engagements with drivers are being carried out to boost the Perception of Being Caught (POBC) among road users.
“When we are consistently on the ground and engaging with motorists, they become more aware of JPJ’s presence and tend to drive more cautiously, thereby increasing this perception.
“Our target is to raise the POBC rate to 75 per cent during Ops HRA 2026,” he said when met at the Road Safety Advocacy Programme held in conjunction with the Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration and a sahur stopover with Penang JPJ enforcement personnel at the Bukit Tambun Toll Plaza last night.
Also present was State Trade and Community Unity Committee chairman Goh Choon Aik, who is the Bukit Tambun Assemblyman.
Zulkifly added that enforcement efforts are also focused on accident-prone locations through patrols and monitoring at designated enforcement points, known as Points of Duty (POD), along identified hotspot routes.
He said eight key areas have been identified as frequent accident zones, including Jalan Teluk Air Tawar to Jalan Bagan Luar and the North-South Expressway in North Seberang Perai; Jalan Perusahaan Perai in Central Seberang Perai; Jalan Besar Simpang Ampat in South Seberang Perai; Tun Dr Lim Chong Eu Expressway and Jalan Paya Terubong in the Northeast; as well as Jalan Tun Dr Awang and Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah in the Southwest.
“A total of 245 personnel have been deployed for Ops HRA 2026, rotating between locations to ensure continuous JPJ presence along these hotspot routes,” he said.
Ops HRA 2026 runs from March 13 to 29, with a pre-operation phase from March 13 to 15 focusing on inspections of buses at depots, followed by full enforcement from March 16 onwards.
Zulkifly said JPJ is also targeting 100 per cent preliminary inspections of express buses to ensure all vehicles are roadworthy before ferrying passengers balik kampung for the festive period. — Bernama
