Commercial vehicles' safety aspects must be reviewed, experts say
The express bus from Johor Bharu heading towards Kuala Lumpur was 100 per cent burnt in an accident. Photo: Bernama
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Transport expert, Dr Rosli Azad Khan said buses and lorries are classified as commercial vehicles, which means they are subjected to more stringent safety needs and requirements such as routine vehicle inspection, public liability insurance, and operator licensing.
"The problems with this industry now are a lack of drivers and qualified mechanics, an insufficient number of general workers, a lack of new investment and capital injection, and high vehicle costs," he said.
"The industry or its total fleet of vehicles could only improve in terms of safety aspects when the issues above are looked into and resolved by the authorities," he added.
He said that the current routine inspections, which are done every six months, should be continued and must be executed properly by qualified personnel.
"Routine inspections, when done properly, should be able to detect issues with vehicles, however, operators are still responsible to check and maintain their vehicles from time to time, especially if they are meant for public services," he said.
Universiti Putra Malaysia Associate Professor at Road Safety Research Center Proffesoer Law Teik Hua said safety level among commercial vehicles could be increased by giving proper trainings towards operators.
"In order to increase the safety level of commercial vehicles, we have to make sure that the Road Transport Department (JPJ) provides sufficient training for drivers," he said.
"Drivers have to go through defensive driving training and hazard perception training so they will know what to do and how to react properly in case of accidents and emergencies," Law explained.
He said currently there is no special module on the importance of safety for commercial vehicle operators, so he urged the authorities to look into this matter.
On Sunday, a bus driver and 44 passengers escaped a harrowing situation when the tour bus they were on caught fire at the UPM Toll Plaza in Serdang.
Meanwhile, two were killed in a container lorry fire at Kilometer 259.6 of the North-South Expressway (PLUS) travelling south near the Port Dickson Toll Plaza on Friday, which caused a 10-kilometer traffic jam since all four road lanes had to be closed.
