You often hear the calls for stricter penalties to be imposed on lorry drivers or transport companies found guilty of failing to ensure the safety of their vehicles, most notably after a spate of incidents, but these are usually from safety experts, academics and authorities. Given all that has been happening on the roads of late, here’s that usual commentary again, but this time coming from a lorry operators association.
“What is truly important is the enforcement of strict and severe penalties against irresponsible lorry drivers and operators. Innocent lives are lost due to negligence and greed, as they overload their lorries. This is one of the main causes of brake system failure, tyre issues and mechanical damage,” he toldChoong said that there were lorry operators who deliberately ignore the standard operating procedures and intentionally overload their vehicles.
“Some lorry operators are forced to overload due to intense competition. According to the Road Transport Act 1987, if a lorry is overloaded, it should not be allowed to continue its journey. Instead, the excess load must be transferred to another lorry,” he stated. “If this is enforced, lorries will no longer carry excessive loads and create problems for other road users. However, this is not being done, even though the SOP and regulations have been in place since the Road Transport Act was introduced in 1987,” he added.
His statement comes following the multiple vehicle crash that occurred on the North-South expressway near Alor Gajah on December 23, whichand injury to 33 others. The accident was caused by a tyre that had detached from a lorry trailer that a tour bus then collided with, causing the chain of events that led to the tragedy.the vehicle companies involved in the incident.