Are you more wary of heavy vehicles these days when you’re behind the wheel, that bit more fearful of something untoward happening? Well, statistics seem to show you have every right to view such vehicles with caution, what with a new study revealing some rather disturbing numbers concerning mishaps involving lorries and trailers.
According to the study, which was conducted by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS), fatal road accidents involving heavy vehicles have claimed at least 1,457 lives over the past six years, working out to an average of one death every 36 hours.
As Harian Metro reports, the MIROS study found that lorry accidents on highways are more likely to result in fatalities compared to other roads such as federal roads, state roads and municipal roads. Factors such as high speed and overloaded lorries contribute to a higher risk of fatality, especially when they occur at bends.
Road safety activist Datuk Mohamad Hisham Shafe said the 1,457 deaths were linked to 3,500 lorry accidents nationwide over the six-year period, with 473 serious injuries and 1,076 minor injuries linked to these crashes. He said the average frequency was one lorry accident every 2,164 minutes, or roughly every one and a half days.
He noted that accidents involving heavy vehicles carry a higher fatality risk due to their size and collision impact. Lorries are heavy vehicles that cause significant impact during collisions, especially when travelling at high speeds on highways, he told the publication.
He added that while driver fatigue, brought on by long working hours, and excessive loads and unbalanced cargo further were significant factors, mechanical failure in lorries is one of the main causes of road accidents, something that has been highlighted enough of in the past.
He said that many lorries do not undergo proper maintenance, affecting their long-distance performance. “The MIROS study also revealed that only 32% of public transport and commercial vehicle operators complied with the Industrial Code of Practice for Transport Safety (ICOP) in 2022,” he said.
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Anthony Loke: Sorry I am still busy selling number plates.
Is not about Puspakom inspection.
All about the driver attitude & authority enforcement.
These truck and lorry drove on fast lane in city & highway
I wonder if the heavy vehicles driver is aware how far it takes to stop the vehicle when fully loaded and running at various speed limit. I m sure those heavy truck won’t be able to stop in 3m if running at city speed limit of 60km/h… Perhaps the old 80km/h / 90km/h speed limit for trucks need a review
I hear from lorry driver,
Its normal that a 40tonne lorry unable to avoid any accident,
They can’t brake like a normal car,
It’s either the lorry driver die if they e-brake, or the opposite die,
By brake, the load behind may crash forward to kill the lorry driver?
YB Antony Loke, busy selling number plates?
Saudara Loke has turned out to be such a big disappointment , same like all the other Transport Ministers before him. Warming the seat rather than taking on the responsibility to improve transportation connectivity and safety . In 2025 we are facing the same issues as 20 years ago when it comes to road fatalities. Another tragedy another round of hangat hangat tahi ayam. Instead of spending so much time being a number plate salesman, should focus more on things which make a difference . For a start speeding , overloading , driving under influence of drugs and alcohol, corruption, rethreaded tyres , dark tints, fake number plates, illegally modified vehicles, driving without license or insurance … and many many more . For the sake of the rakyat, hopefully Saudara Loke decides to take some positive action and in the process save many many lives
All heavy vehicles must compulsory install dashcam and must be in working condition at all times . Inability to provide cam footage during accident to incur jail sentence to both driver and owner.
It is a common sight these days that you are trailing behind cement trucks, trailers with a 40 foot container, lorries, double decker busses and commercial vans on the fast lanes. Many times they also intimidate passenger cars by driving very near to them and also driving well past their legal speed limits.
Why are these commercial vehicles allowed to be on fast lanes. Extreme weight and traveling higher than allowed speed is reckless.
Wondering when the authorities are going to take action and making enforcement ?
And lets pray for those politicians to join into the statistics
Loke afraid that penalized heavy vehicles drivers will cause a strike and affect our economy. Is the human problem, can’t expect authorities to enforce 24/7. Plus, many lorry companies have set up secret partnership with gov so gov won’t penalized them. For example, pay bribes under the table to avoid being penalized.