PETALING JAYA: No evidence was found to support the steering malfunction claim made by the driver of the lorry involved in the crash which took the lives of nine Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel in Teluk Intan, Perak last month.
This was said by the Transport Ministry in its preliminary report of its investigation into the May 12 crash.
"Overall, based on the technical inspection, the main mechanical systems such as brakes, tyres, steering and suspension of both lorries were found to be in satisfactory condition and comply with the set standards," it said.
It added that the lorry was overloaded at the time of the crash, as it was found to have exceeded its permitted load by 70%
Citing the initial report of the investigation into the crash, the JPJ said the tipper lorry is only allowed to carry coal, but at the time of the incident, it was carrying 40,960 kilogrammes of gravel, which exceeded 70% of the permitted load limit.
The lorry was also found to not be equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) as required by the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD).
"The lorry violated the conditions of the Written Authorisation License provided under Section 57 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010," said the Ministry in its report.
On May 12, the lorry collided with a truck carrying 18 FRU members on Jalan Chikus-Sungai Lampan, Teluk Intan, while they were on their way back to Ipoh.
As a result of the accident, nine FRU members were killed, while nine others were injured.
According to the report, the mechanism of injury to the victims in the FRU lorry was made worse by the presence of unrestrained objects in the cabin that could potentially become secondary projectiles during the collision.
"The combination of the absence of a restraint system and the presence of unrestrained objects is believed to be a major contributing factor to the high rate of serious injuries and fatalities in this incident.
"In addition, the investigation also found that there was no indication of the existence of seatbelt facilities in the front seats, including the driver and front passenger of the FRU lorry," said the ministry
It said the bench-type seats in the FRU truck, which accommodate most of the passengers, were also believed not to meet the specifications of United Nations (UN) Regulation No. 17 or UN Regulation No. 80.
The investigation also found that the tipper lorry entered the opposite lane, which was the lane being travelled by the FRU convoy.
"As a result of the collision, both lorries overturned onto their left sides and ended up on their sides. The incident occurred in good weather conditions and the road surface was dry," according to the report.
