A new law will be gazetted by the government next month to allow the authorities to terminate unregistered prepaid mobile phone lines.

Due to the response from consumers to the registration exercise, Energy, Water and Communications Minister Dr Lim Keng Yaik said the law would empower the authorities to act.

Since the registration process was started last December, only 1.5 million of the 18 million prepaid users in the country had registered, he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

Lim urged prepaid users to register with their respective service providers by the end of this year or face action.

"This figure is very disappointing," he told reporters after opening a seminar in Penang.

The government announced the registration requirement last year to enable the authorities to track users to prevent criminal and terrorist activities as well as curb the distribution of pornographic materials using mobile phones.

Massage service

In an unrelated development, the North-South Expressway (NSE) operator today kick-started a massage service for tired drivers in an attempt to reduce road accidents.

The first outlet offering the service along the NSE is at the Sungai Buloh Overhead Restaurant. It is a joint effort between Plus Expressways Sdn Bhd and Syarikat OTO Bodycare Sdn Bhd.

"The introduction of the leisure centre known as OTO-Plus Rejuvenation Point at the Sungai Buloh Overhead Restaurant is the best step to meet the need of highway users who come to this rest area," said Works Minister S Samy Vellu who opened the centre..

"The second OTO-Plus Rejuvenation Point will be at the south-bound Tapah rest and service area in the middle of the year," he said.

Quoting statistics issued by the Bukit Aman Traffic Police, Samy Vellu said only 2.2 per cent of all road accidents happened on Plus highways last year.

"Negligence was still the main cause of accidents on Plus highways in 2005. It made up 47 per cent of all causes of accidents. It was followed by fatigue that contributed 17 percent.

"All these figures can change if the people are concerned and aware of the importance of stopping to have a rest to avoid driving when tired and weary." he said.