Bus was driven beyond safe limit, according to preliminary report
JOHOR BARU: While there were a host of factors that led to the deadly bus accident in Gerik, a preliminary report identified speeding while navigating a downhill curve as one of the primary causes.
The accident on June 9 resulted in the death of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students.
The 179-page report, released yesterday, was prepared by a special task force set up by the Transport Ministry to investigate the crash.
According to the report, trajectory analysis, vehicle movement reconstruction and assessment of the curve’s critical speed indicated that the bus was driven at a speed exceeding the safe limit.
The report stated that the accident was also due to weaknesses in the operational structure, selection of a non-suitable driver, a lack of safety protection and a non-active monitoring and enforcement system.
The discovery of a high number of traffic summonses involving the drivers and the failure of the operator to carry out scheduled safety checks also showed a management failure involving the organisation.
The report noted that the first bus driver has a total of 18 traffic summonses with 13 yet to be paid, with most summonses involving speeding.
The second driver has a total of 21 summonses with nine from the Road Transport Department and 13 from the police.
“This shows a driving pattern, which was risky and the failure to abide by traffic rules,” the report revealed, adding that this situation raises serious questions on the selection and monitoring of the discipline of the drivers by the operator.
“All these factors showcase a systemic failure which needs a complete overhaul involving all parties in the public transport ecosystem,” the report added.
There is also a lack of risk assessment mechanism in the present public transport system to detect and stop individuals with a habitual number of accidents from driving public vehicles, it said.
Under the regulation, an operator is required to check all the past traffic offences of a driver to ensure only a qualified and disciplined individual could handle a vehicle.
The task force also stressed that the findings were not to lay blame or identify the liability of any parties.
“All the findings and recommendations in this report are mainly to prevent such accidents from happening again and to strengthen the road transport system and protect the lives of road users,” the report said.
It urged those involved to pay attention to all aspects of safety and help to carry out the rectifying works that are needed.
On June 9, 15 UPSI students were killed in the crash involving a bus and a multi-purpose vehicle in Banun, near Tasik Banding, in Gerik, Perak.
