On Monday (June 9), a total of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students were killed after the bus they were travelling in collided with an Alza along the East-West Highway.
Following the tragedy, many are calling upon the authorities to take sterner action against errant bus drivers, with one non-governmental organisation (NGO) calling for night bus rides to be banned completely.
NGO calls on govt to ban night bus travels
In a statement by the Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP), it wrote that it was “deeply regrettable” that it came at the cost of 15 individuals to jolt the authorities to look into improving road safety.
Its president, Mohideen Abdul Kader, added that to prevent such tragedies from occurring, the government must consider banning late night trips between 12.00am to 1.00am.
“Falling asleep at the wheel could lead to catastrophic consequences, as such to combat this fatigue, some drivers may resort to using unregulated stimulants to stay alert which could affect their judgement 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.”
In addition to banning late night bus travels, CAP also urged the government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) to investigate the rising number of deadly crashes involving heavy vehicles.
In the first quarter of 2024 alone, there were 652 accidents involving heavy vehicles such as container lorries, lorries, and express buses. Of these incidents, 287 resulted in fatalities.
“The increase in road accidents involving heavy vehicles has been a longstanding issue that has remained inadequately addressed for years,” it said in the statement.
What do you think of CAP’s proposal? Let us know in the comments!
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