A Singaporean teenager was among three men fined RM3,500 each by the Johor Bahru Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday after pleading guilty to offences involving illegal motorcycle racing and dangerous riding along the Malaysia-Singapore Linkedua Highway last month.
The three accused were Syajahan Alfian Abdullah, 19, Muhammad Daniel Hakim Mohamad Rashid, 24, and Gonzales Mckhovic anak George, 18.
Syajahan is a Singaporean national, while the other two are Malaysians. All three were fined RM3,500, with an alternative sentence of four months’ imprisonment if they failed to pay, after their charges were read separately before Magistrate Nur Fatin Mohamad Farid.
According to the charge sheet, Syajahan, who is still undergoing national service training in Singapore, was accused of riding a motorcycle at high speed and engaging in a speed challenge at KM12.5 of the southbound Linkedua Highway at approximately 2.10am on October 18.
He was charged under Section 42A(2) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Amendment 2026).
The offence carries a fine of between RM2,000 and RM10,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, upon conviction.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Daniel and Gonzales were charged with racing their motorcycles along the northbound stretch of the Linkedua Highway, between KM7.8 and KM18.2, at approximately 2.10am on October 18, 2026.
Both faced charges under Section 42A(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 (Amendment 2026), which carries a fine of between RM2,000 and RM10,000, imprisonment of up to two years, or both, upon conviction.
For the second offence, the prescribed punishment is a fine of between RM5,000 and RM20,000, imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
None of the accused was represented by a lawyer. The prosecution was handled by Traffic Prosecuting Officer Inspector S. Vikineswary.
The case comes after amendments to the Road Transport Act 1987 (Act 333), known as the Road Transport (Amendment) Act 2026, came into force on October 16.
The amendments, comprising 42 clauses, were passed by the Dewan Rakyat on June 24 and aim to strengthen road safety, improve enforcement and crack down on illegal racing and activities involving ‘tonto’ informants.
One of the key changes was the introduction of Section 42A, which specifically criminalises street racing and speed challenges on public roads.
Previously, enforcement action against illegal racing was generally taken under provisions relating to dangerous driving. The new section allows authorities to take action without having to wait for an accident, injury or fatality to occur.
