Common Misconceptions: Traffic Police, Fines, Etc.

Dear Readers,
As the Guardian Of The Traffic Fine Money (or cashier as it is unglamorously known as), I accept and process payments from those who were fined for doing traffic-related misdeeds. So everyday I sit in a chair at the counter, get questioned by confused individuals, sworn at by pissed off people and generally ranted at by those who just can't bear to part with their money to pay for the fines. Through this I have discovered there are a lot of frequently asked questions and a helluva lot of misconceptions about fines, traffic polices and such. Thus, I have taken it upon myself to address these FAQs the best that I can. So here goes:

Why does the traffic police just hands out fines even though we didn't do anything wrong? Don't they have anything else to do?
Traffic police officers don't just hand out fines whenever they want. They just enforce the Law and fine you for something that you have ALREADY done wrong. THAT'S what they do plain and simple. And yes, even if you managed to put on your seat belt 10 seconds before you were pulled over, that's still counted as doing a traffic-related misdeed because they saw you not wearing it from the distance and the police have the right to fine you accordingly.

Why do the traffic police keep fining people even when it's raining and in the middle of the night? Don't they have any consideration? Give us a break!
They are doing their job people... They are abiding the order of their Head Officer. Do you seriously think that they love doing road blocks in the rain in the wee hours of the morning and dealing with people who obviously can't walk straight to save their mama's yet insist that they are not drunk, people who curse at them for doing their job, people who try to wriggle out of a fine by giving a 1001 illogical excuses? Why don't we give THEM a break for a change?

The IPD must have a lot of money from all the fines they issued to us right? Swindlers!
If that were true then every staff would have their own desk with Mac Computers instead of having to bicker with each other on who gets to use the only one PC that can connect to the Internet, we'd be working in an office with beautifully tiled or carpeted floors instead of an ugly cemented one and we would have the latest model of printers instead of an evil-menopausal-neanderthal-muzium-worthy printer that jams up every 5 minutes. Sorry to disappoint you but no, all fines collected are banked in to the Government. Not one cent goes to the IPD that issues the fine.

How can they fine me for parking on the road? Its not as if the car was empty, my son/daughter was in the car at that time. Have a bit of consideration..
If you parked your car where it is not allowed then you will be fined. Why? BECAUSE YOU WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO PARK THERE BUT YOU DID ANYWAY. It doesn't matter even if the whole village is in your car, you still get fined. However, IF there is someone in the driver's seat OR there is a passenger in the car with a valid driver's licence that can move the car IMMEDIATELY, then the police would just ask you to move your car. That is pure consideration on their part.

I'm fined for abstructing the road? But there's still a lot of space on the road for the other cars to manouver..
Wah, your daddy owns the road is it? Or maybe the road has been in your family for 7 generations? Roads are public property and everyone has a right to use it safely and comfortably. Why should others have to manouver around your car and risk having an accident or something just because you took it to your head to park wherever it is convenient for you? Even if there is enough space on the road for Titanic to get through, you are parking where you shouldn't be and that my friend still make you elligible for a parking ticket.

Why didn't I get a letter or a ticket for speeding (speed trap)? I didn't knew I was fined until today when I couldn't renew my road tax!
Speed trap uses a camera to capture the licence plate of cars that are going more than 90KM/H (Or is it 100M/H?). A notification letter would then be sent to the owner of the car (the person who's name the car is under) through mail to the address of the owner. Sometimes when the owner changes address and doesn't update their their info, the notice won't reach them because it's sent to the original address. Another way to prevent any unwanted (not to mention expensive) surprises is to periodically check with the Traffic Cops at your nearest IPD if there are any fines under your name or car.

Why can't I pay my roadtax if I'm fined? 
When you get fined and you don't pay it for more than a year or two JPJ will block you from paying your roadtax. You can only pay your road tax after you've cleared the fine that was blocked. Normally blocked fines are speed trap fines because the owners are unaware of it especially if they didn't receive any notification.

JPJ blocked me from paying my road tax because of an unpaid speed trap fine. Will I be unable to renew my driver's licence too?
Nope.. When there is an unsettled speed trap fine, JPJ will only block you from from paying your road tax. It will not prevent you from renewing your driver's licence.

So there you are folks, the FAQs regarding traffic police and traffic fines. Traffic police are not ogres that issue fines left, right and center just for the heck of it. They are people too.. Do put ourselves in their shoes.. Has any of you been a prefect in school before? If so then you'd know how difficult it is to do your job AND keeping your friends at the same time. I hope next time you see a traffic police you'd honk, raise your hand and smile. If you have any questions please leave a comment below.. Cheers!