Number one “killers” on the expressway

The last few days has been filled with disturbing news, especially on lives lost in a blink of an eye during road accidents.

The latest being an accident between a trailer and lorry, causing one to question if lorries are the number one road killer.

For instance, five lives were lost along the North-South Highway near Kuala Kangsar, Perak on the midnight of May 12.

These five friends lost their lives in a blink of an eye after their car was hit in the back a trailer based on a close camera footage of a car.

The footage also showed the left lane of the highway was closed for repair work while motorists could only use the right lane.

Based on the camera footage, it was clear the driver of the trailer was driving at a relatively high speed in between the narrow lane, prior to hitting the car with five victims from behind.

The impact saw the car being dragged, hitting a lorry infront of them sparking a fire. Their car was on fire, leaving them no way out.

The five victims had no chance to save themselves.

The saddest part of the whole thing was the fact that they were victims of circumstances. They died due to negligence of others.

On the same night of May 12 along Elite highway in Kuala Lumpur, a lorry that was said to have brake problems hit nine vehicles in its way.

Just like what we saw in the Kuala Kangsar accident, one of the lanes at Elite highway was also close for maintenance.

The only difference was that there were no fatalities reported except two children were injured with one of them suffering a leg injury.

There was another strange incident along the East Coast Highway near Paka, Terengganu rest area. A lorry parked along the road shoulder caused the death of a motorcyclist at midnight.

The motorcyclist did not have time to dodge the lorry parked without any signs or signal. The driver was in the lorry asleep and fled the screen after he was woken from slumber by other highway users.

The lorry was eventually stopped 40 km from the screen after he was chased by a couple who were earlier at the screen. He was later detained by the police.

All three incidents involved lorries, two of which were fatal and the victims died even-though it was no fault of their own.

And if we still remember the Dec 18 incident, a truck had crashed into three cars at a rest area along USJ Elite highway. Ten people died, nine of them were family members - mother and her 8 children and a man.

The trailer crashed into three vehicles that had stopped along the emergency lane to assist one of the broke-down car. The truck driver has been brought to Shah Alam Magistrate court on Dec 21 for reckless driving, resulting the death of 10 people.

Surely there are many more such incidents that occurs along the highways that it makes one question whether we are really safe while driving on the roads.

"Back and Forth" is a column by Rozaid Rahman. He is Sinar Karangkraf Group Editor-in-Chief and Chief Content Officer.