5 days ago
Cheapskate or rebel with a cause – toll dodger in Beemer has opinions divided
PENNY-PINCHING foolishness or a case of rebelling against the highway operators?
A video shared by the Malay Mail (@malaymail) on X showed a brazen and successful attempt at avoiding paying toll. A blue BMW is captured on dash cam video of tailgating a car just to avoid paying the highway tax.
Did the driver of the blue BMW run out of credit on his TnG (Touch 'n Go) card or misplaced his wallet? Or was it a deliberate act of defiance?
Premium car, but skipped the toll 💸. A dashcam caught this driver sneaking through by tailgating another vehicle at the toll.
— Malay Mail (@malaymail) July 15, 2025
Opinions were divided over the antics of this extremely frugal driver. Some commenters were inclined to label the toll dodger as nothing but a cheapskate.
One lamented the mentality of such entitled road users who wanted free use of facilities.
The premium marque had sucked up all the funds, cried a few, obviously poking fun at the drivers' misplaced priorities – cash for luxury vehicle but not toll.
One claimed that he would slow down on purpose so that the tailgating offender got a bump from the beam to teach the toll dodger a lesson.
However, a few saw it as a rallying cry of defiance against highway concessionaires.
Some commenters blamed weak enforcement of the law for encouraging such behaviour. Stiffer penalties including heavier fines (from the current RM300 or even a penalty of 10 times the existing toll amount) and even time behind bars would be a good deterrent.
Suffice to say, many believed the offender should just be named and shamed with the number plate fully exposed (instead of purportedly blurred).
At the end of the day, this is breaking the law. At the moment, failing to pay highway tolls can result in fines and, potentially, a criminal offence.
Currently, toll evaders can be fined between RM2,000 and RM5,000 upon conviction under the Federal Roads (Private Management) Act 1984. A new law is proposed to make toll evasion a criminal offense as part of the multi-lane free flow (MLFF) system implementation.
Such toll dodgers will need to be prosecuted and made an example of if any future barrier-free plan is to work.
In the meantime, let's hope this BMW driver is enjoying his 15 minutes of infamy. – July 17, 2025
