The recent bus accident that tragically killed 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students and injured 33 is still weighing heavily on the nation’s minds, and besides speed limiters, the transport ministry is looking into making on-board video cameras and seat belt buzzers mandatory for buses as well, Bernama reports.
According to transport minister Anthony Loke, it is currently compulsory for all buses built from 2020 onwards to have seat belts for all passengers, but the bus that crashed on the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik was built in 2013 and did not have seat belts.
“Although it is mandatory for new buses to have seat belts, the challenge is to ensure compliance for passengers to wear seat belts, so we have to make compliance mandatory for passengers. In a car, if you do not wear a seat belt, it will emit a warning sound, so we can make it mandatory for bus drivers to ensure that all passengers wear their seat belts or the bus will not move,” he said.
“We see that among the causes of (accidents) that often occur on this particular road are heavy vehicles, including lorries, buses and so on. They drive too fast, so there is now technology, namely speed limiters, devices installed in vehicles to prevent them from exceeding the speed limit.
“However, the challenge we face is that most of them are tampered (with), meaning (they are modified) during installation for inspection at Puspakom but then they remove them afterwards, we want to ensure there is no tampering of the speed limiters,” he added.
Loke also said that the ministry will look into the possibility of installing on-board video cameras on heavy vehicles to improve safety, although it is not yet mandatory.
The Malay Mail cited Loke as saying that new regulations often face resistance from industry players who cite rising costs: “We don’t want that when we make something mandatory, the operators complain that they are affected, that the new measures are a burden and incur additional costs,” he said, adding that safety measures are not meant to burden but to save lives.
“So, for example, the wearing of seat belts in new buses is already mandatory but there was lack of compliance by the operators and passengers,” the English-language daily quoted Loke as saying.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
This a very strong reason for JKR to change our ‘guard rail’ design which turned to become steel rods that plow the vehicle structures and human bodies, whenever the rail was being pinned down.
very common, when something of this nature happened then menteris and the likes start talking. to do this and to do that. but in the end, it doesn’t even matter!. quiet… and keep enjoying super high salaries and allowances, stolen from the rakyat.
as usual lah. all wayang only. these PUBLIC SERVANTS are not doing their job, while enjoying the luxury and benefit of menteri paychecks. All we asked was proper streetlamps on dark streets and highways, proper line painting, proper catseye reflectors on the kampung roads. so simple.
This AL can talks all he wants but without enforcement consistently…and it will likely be back to “usual” after this and long forgotten dy. And until another big “mishap” happens again. And another politician talk and talk again…
IMO，we have the law and regulations, the main problem is enfrocement. Our YB can amend or add thousands of law, but if there is no enforcement, it’s useless.
easy to make it tamper proof. each time it is found tampered, the bus company will be fined RM100,000. if they have 10 buses that has been tampered, they will be fine RM1m which is good enough to close down their company. And for the company to appeal, they have to hand in the culprit. that way, the directors of the bus company will sack the driver and then the government just throw the driver in jail.
Stop looking ways to make money out of any incidents. Start periodical drivers evaluation.
There have been numerous accidents involving buses. I hope this latest promise to have things and that safety items in place is not hangat2 tahi ayam. It should have been done donkey years ago.
All these seatbelt or buzzer or speed limit are just a waste of resources if the enforcers or user dont implement them properly The user can install but can also simply disable the function.
Best way is mandatory to install black box like those in airplanes, whereby users are not able to modify or disable its function easily.
Feel like things are not improving at all for road ministry. Always after incidents it sounds like same recycled answer. Cant really see anything being done.
who to blame? close down the transport company? ohh.. koloni.. cannot
Why is a 12 years old bus still on the road? Should mandate 7 years lifespans for all heavy commercial vehicles
Was on a tour bus in Taiwan and the TV in the bus showed the difference between passengers who wore seatbelts vs those who didn’t, actual accident footage from inside buses. Passengers not strapped in were tossed around like rag dolls.
Everyone wore their seatbelts. Just an idea
Si gemuk cakap cakap setiap kali ada kemalangan, lepas tu diam diam lagi!!!
Funny thing about Malaysian coach building industries, not sure to which safety standards it adheres to, bus body like thin fiberglass shell on top of scania/volvo/Hino chassis only. Looks massive from the outside but bodyshell thin like Alphard.
I’m not aware if there is a “MIROS” equivalent for bus crash test.
Politician talk and talk. No enforcement.
Come to Port Klang area…those heavy vehicles speeding like no tomorrow, KESAS, SHAPADU, Federal HW. Today, tail gated by prime mover…crazy…on the highway. Have to give way to tat crazy prime mover in the end.
They should have made it so that everytime someone submit a valid myJPJ report, they get 1% of the summons payout (upon being paid by the one getting summoned). bet 100% people will be proactive to report all the b4st4rds driving over the speed limit or unsafe driving.
The bus was speeding down hill. No matter what seat belt ot fool proof system… will not prevent this kind of accident.
The claim of brake failure is not vaild as the driver can change to lower gear to slow down the bus… but it was not done, which indicates…driver in a hurry to reach the destination!!