Lee Lam Thye told FMT it was “high time” the Road Transport Act was amended to ensure that drivers of heavy vehicles such as buses, trucks, and lorries were not allowed behind the wheel if they had more than three summonses.
“Even if they pay the fine, the very fact that they are issued so many summonses… This should be taken seriously,” said Lee, a former chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.
“Road accidents involving heavy vehicles will result in a greater number of deaths. There have been so many cases where this has happened. If it involves a bus, then all the passengers become victims through no fault of their own.
“And every time there is a major road crash which results in deaths, the driver will be probed – and very often, they are found to have committed offences such as consuming drugs, speeding, or other safety-related offences.”
The 15 students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris were killed when the bus they were travelling in crashed into the rear of a Perodua Alza, veered off the road, and overturned along the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik, early Monday morning.
In a Sinar Harian report on Tuesday, Bukit Aman traffic investigation and enforcement department director Yusri Hassan Basri revealed that the bus driver had 18 summonses: 13 for speeding, three for not wearing a seatbelt, one for not having a third brake light, and another for involvement in a previous accident.
Transport minister Loke Siew Fook had said that based on dashcam footage from other road users, it was clear that the bus was “speeding and overtaking” before it lost control and crashed.
Lawyer S Vinesh, who has represented clients charged under the Road Transport Act, agreed that the law should be amended to ensure that drivers of commercial vehicles with a certain number of summonses have their licence suspended.
“Perhaps stricter measures like this will compel drivers to adhere more closely to road safety regulations,” he said.
Noting that the road transport department already had a demerit system for drivers, Vinesh asked how someone with 18 summonses could still be allowed to drive a bus.
“This shows there is a gap in our system which needs urgent attention,” he said.
A transport industry insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he was “shocked” that the bus driver had 18 summonses.
Adding that such accidents were occurring more frequently, he said enforcement agencies should have done a better job at ensuring that the driver was not allowed behind the wheel.
“They know where he works, the company’s name, the company’s address… They have all the data. But why was no action taken?” he asked.
“Now, 15 young lives have been lost.”