The crash had caused a woman in one of the cars to suffer a miscarriage.

Judge Savinder Singh meted out the fine, in default 12 months’ jail, on Alias Awang, 49, who pleaded guilty to the charge.

The judge also ordered the conviction to be endorsed on his driving licence.

Alias was charged with driving the trailer without due care and attention or reasonable consideration for other road users at Km69 Gerik-Jeli east-west highway here at about 10.50am on Oct 29.

The charge was framed under Section 43(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987, which provides for a fine of between RM5,000 and RM10,000 and liable for imprisonment for up to 12 months, if found guilty, and the particulars of the conviction to be endorsed on his driving licence.

Earlier, deputy public prosecutor Nor Atiyah Shafiee requested the court to impose an appropriate sentence on Alias as a lesson.

However, a lawyer from the National Legal Aid Foundation, Nur Murni Che Mood, representing Alias, asked for a lower fine, saying her client was not speeding and the crash occurred due to the condition of the road and its surface, causing the ceiling load bar to come off the trailer.

Nur Murni said it was also Alias’ first offence and that his guilty plea saved the court’s time and cost.

She said Alias has four children, aged nine months to 10 years, and his wife is a housewife.

According to the facts of the case, the ceiling load bar fell and hit four vehicles coming from the opposite direction, causing a passenger, who was eight months’ pregnant with her first child, in one of the vehicles to suffer a miscarriage.

Alias paid the fine.