Responsibility is Shy

Responsibility is Shy

Responsibility is Shy

Posted: 29 Dec 2009 07:50 PM PST

 (This resemble a failed attempt by an autobot to transform but only if it was just a story)

10 bus passengers were killed on boxing day (26 Dec 2009) while travelling on the North-South Expressway. The tragedy also claimed the life of a 14 year old boy together with his sister 9 years her senior.

Thus far only the bus driver has been charged. No bus operator have come out to issue apologies nor claim responsibility.

So did the 10 died in tragedy and the event to be forgotten very soon.

Let's review the history:

In August 2007, a Bukit Gantang bus crashed on the North-South Expressway claiming 22 lives, including the driver. Syarikat Kenderaan Bukit Gantang Sdn Bhd's entire fleet of 38 buses were grounded the following day.

In April 2008, one person was killed and 16 others injured when the express bus they were travelling in crashed into a safety railing and overturned at Kilometer 265.1 of the North-South Expressway, at 3.45am. The bus was carrying 27 passengers from Johor Baru to Kuala Lumpur.

In June 2008, two people were killed and seven others seriously injured when the express bus they were travelling on overturned after hitting a divider at Kilometer406 of the North-South Expressway near Lembah Beringin.

In December 2008, an express bus driver lost control of his bus near Tangkak-Pagoh stretch on the North-South Expressway at 2am. Four men, four women and two girls, aged 9 and 12, were killed instantly.

In April 2009, five passengers and the driver of a double-decker express bus died, and five others were injured after the bus skidded and hit the divider at Kilometer 443 of the North-South Expressway near Rawang.

The record shows only 2 previous years of bus passengers whom have died while traveling along the North-South Expressway and on private bus companies. But this does not include the hundreds of others that have perished stretching back to the 90s, 80s and 70s. All forgotten and the dead never mentioned again in the annals of history.

So what has gone so wrong that these kinds of tragedy kept appearing again and again.

In August 2007, right after the Bukit Gantang bus accident tragedy, several measures were introduced by the Malaysian Transport Ministry:

1. Express bus drivers must rest for 15 minutes every Two and a half hours.

2. Bus drivers can only drive a maximum of 8 hours a day.

3. A second designated driver must take over the wheel every four hours.

4. Road Transport Department officers must inspect the tyres, brakes and engines of express buses at all 32 terminals nationwide.

5. Transport Ministry to have safety records of all express buses.

6. RTD and National Anti-Drug Agency to carry out random urine checks on express bus drivers.

7. Express bus companies to comply with the Safety, Health and Environment code.

These regulatory measures are well and good but thus far which State RTD as well as the the corresponding private bus companies have abide by the rules. Sadly maybe only a few. And yet I have to stress that many innocent passengers died because these rules were not strictly followed.

Are there any additional measures that needs to be introduce to curb the accidents from happening again. I dare say NO. Because no amount of rules and regulations are good enough if they are meant to be pasted only on the walls of RTD, bus companies and buses but were never meant to be followed.

The time has now come for a review of the NKRA as provided for in one of the 6 sectors proposed, namely Transport, to address the issue of – "Rule IMPLEMENTATION".

Without which, no amount of rules and regulations will work.

So anybody for Responsibility?

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