CAP president Mohideen Abdul Kader said in the first quarter of 2024 alone, there had been 652 accidents involving heavy vehicles, 287 of which resulted in fatalities.
The most recent fatal incident occurred on the East-West Highway on Monday, involving a bus that had been carrying a group of students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) back to their campus after the Aidiladha celebration.
Fifteen students died while many others were injured.
The following day, an express bus carrying 28 passengers including 13 students from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah rammed into the back of a trailer on the East Coast Expressway. No casualties were reported in that incident.
Mohideen said the incident involving UPSI students had shaken public trust in the safety of express bus travel, which he described as an affordable and crucial means of long-distance travel for low-income individuals.
“CAP calls on the government to establish an RCI into the rising number of accidents involving heavy vehicles.
“The increase in road accidents involving heavy vehicles is a longstanding issue that has remained inadequately addressed for years,” he said in a statement.
Mohideen also urged the government to focus on increasing the safety of express bus travel as well as road safety in general.
He likewise backed calls for a ban on late-night bus travel, citing the fact that the UPSI incident had occurred in the early hours of the morning.
“Late-night bus travel increases the risk of accidents due to driver fatigue, and drivers are more susceptible to micro-sleep,” he said.
He said to tackle such fatigue, some drivers might resort to using unregulated stimulants to stay alert which could affect their judgment while driving.
“Additionally, some drivers may have the mentality of wanting to complete their last trip of the day quickly. This leads to a disregard for safety regulations, including speeding, dangerously overtaking other vehicles, and neglecting road safety laws and regulations,” he said.
He added that the mental well-being of heavy vehicle drivers should be routinely assessed to ensure safe travel for all.