“What an expensive trip” – M’sian Looks at Waze While Driving in Penang, Gets RM1K Fine from PDRM

Waze is often our best friend that navigates the road for us when we’re driving to avoid heavy traffic and guides us throughout the journey when we’re new to a place.

A Malaysian woman, Candi recently traveled to Penang from Ipoh and she turned on the Waze application on her phone as she wasn’t really familiar with the place. Little did she know, the helpful application sealed her fate on that day.

PDRM saw her with the phone when she was still behind the wheel and Candi immediately received a “love letter” from the traffic police – a summon that cost her a whopping RM1,000! According to the official Facebook page of PDRM, a post from 3 years ago did state that you’ll be slapped with a fine of RM1,000 if caught using a phone while driving.

The penalty is heavier if you’re a 2nd-time offender, with a fine amounting to RM2,000 and/or less than 6 months of jail time.

And she was ordered to go to the court on the given date.

“What an expensive trip”, Candi said on her Facebook post.

Speaking to WORLD OF BUZZ, Candi, who had her phone on her lap during the incident said that she was not allowed to settle the summon on the same day itself.

“I can only pay the summon when I attend court on the given date.”

Candi also said that the officer had a specific reason as to why her fine amounted to RM1,000 and not only RM300.

For illustration purposes only

“Many people repeat the offence when it is only RM300, so it’s Rm1,000 now. Go to the court and sort it out,” the officer told her.

However, Candi told WORLD OF BUZZ that she did not blame the officer for the fine and in fact, she was thankful that he carried out his duty responsibly instead of “helping” her. 

“We would both involved in corruption if he decided to ‘help’ me.”

Ideally, it’s best to have your phone hung on a phone holder that’s attached to the windshield if you need help with navigation. Candi said that once you’re caught scrolling your phone while driving regardless of where the device is, you’ll still end up with a fine.

What a day for Candi, and what an (unexpectedly) expensive trip. To all the drivers out there, have you encountered such an incident?

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