Driving home road safety ideas

Among government initiatives to enhance road safety is having seat belts installed in express and tour buses. — Filepic

A recent one-day group visit from Ipoh, Perak, to Sekinchan in Selangor on tour bus had me feeling quite anxious.

A number of seats in the vehicle did not have seat belts and the vehicle swayed as it moved over uneven roads.

On the trip back to Ipoh at night, I was awake the entire journey and unable to relax as the bus went through dimly lit roads and occasionally overtook other vehicles.

While I could not see the speedometer to determine if the driver was over the speed limit, it was moving at a considerably fast pace.

When we reached Ipoh, I thanked the driver for getting us back safely.

Having covered, written and read about accidents involving heavy vehicles for many years, I have developed a slight trepidation about sitting in buses, especially those that travel at night.

These observations during the trip did little to allay my concerns, given the spate of accidents involving buses of late, not to mention the number of video clips that popped up on social media after the Gerik crash on June 9 that saw 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris students perish.

Earlier this month, I also had an unsavoury experience with an express bus on my drive to Johor.

I was in the middle lane of the North-South Expressway, driving within the speed limit, when a bus on the left lane behind me zoomed past my car and a few others in front of me.

From a distance, what I saw shocked me as the bus suddenly swerved from the left lane to the extreme right lane.

Fortunately, it did not result in an incident but it really begs the question of whether we are doing enough to keep the roads safe.

As far as the government is concerned, several initiatives will be conducted in its bid to enhance road safety.

These include beefing up enforcement on Inspection and Safety Audit for public transport operators and also making it mandatory to instal speed limiters in heavy vehicles exceeding 3,500kg or those ferrying more than eight passengers.

But will these initiatives be enough if road users do not cooperate?

Whether these actions would really reduce fatal accidents remains to be seen, but there is hope with some of these improvements in place.

As for public transport operators, constantly ensuring their vehicles are roadworthy should not be seen as a hassle.

Considering the number of lives at stake each trip, their safety should outweigh the cost incurred to maintain or repair vehicles.

Plus, think of the legal costs that would be incurred if the operator were to be hauled to court.

Perhaps the punishment for those found guilty for not adhering to certain rules should be harsher.

As for bus drivers, just like any other motorist, it goes without saying that they should always be considerate and courteous on the road.

“Better safe than sorry” and “better late than never” should not be treated as mere words but as a much-needed mantra for us all.