GEORGE TOWN, Aug 22 — Penang Pakatan Rakyat (PR) leaders have called for more drastic preventive measures such as mandatory vehicle inspections and professionally trained drivers in the wake of the worst bus crash in Malaysian history that claimed 37 lives yesterday.
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said drastic measures such as conducting pre-journey inspections on express buses should be introduced to prevent more fatal crashes in the future.
“Bus drivers should also be paid better and considered as professionals,” he told a press conference here while expressing his condolences to the families of those who perished in the Genting Highlands bus crash.
Lim said bus drivers are considered professionals in their own field and should be paid adequate rates and be given proper training as required by the profession.
He emphasised the importance of getting good drivers which, he added, is why their salaries should also be increased.
The DAP secretary-general proposed that express buses, especially those travelling uphill and long distances, be subjected to safety inspections before each journey, just like the routine inspections conducted on aeroplanes at airports before each flight.
“If things don’t improve, we should introduce this drastic measure otherwise we will see more of such tragedies,” he said.
This is to ensure that the buses do not have any technical failures that could result in an accident.
“The bus condition must always be top priority to ensure the safety of its passengers,” he said in a brief statement issued today.
He pointed out this serious tragedy should not be taken lightly but be a wake-up call for the authorities to implement preventive measures.
Dr Afif suggested that the federal government form a special taskforce to conduct an in-depth study of the bus crash and the entire route from Genting Highlands to the Karak Highway where accidents commonly occur.
“What we need are proactive steps to prevent any future incidents,” he said.
They both demanded the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) conduct a thorough investigation into this incident and to provide full explanations on top of introducing preventive measures.
Yesterday, an overloaded tour bus travelling downhill from the mountain resort of Genting Highlands plunged some 70 metres down a ravine after its driver lost control of the vehicle near the Chin Swee Temple.
The 44-passenger capacity bus was carrying 53 passengers, over half of them were foreigners from China, Bangladesh and Thailand.
Of the 37 dead, 24 were men and 13 women.
A total 16 passengers survived but with serious injuries.
Road fatalities involving express buses have been a recurrent issue in Malaysia.
The previous record for the highest fatalities was on December 20, 2010 when another express bus, on its way down from Cameron Highlands, hit a divider and overturned, killing 27 people onboard, including the driver.
A year before that, 10 people died on December 26 when the north-bound bus they were in crashed into the guardrail at the Ipoh toll plaza.
Another 10 died on December 7, 2008 when their express bus skidded and overturned in Pagoh, Johor.
Another incident with high fatalities happened on August 13, 2007 when 22 people, including the driver, died when the express bus they were travelling in crashed near the Bukit Gantang, Perak rest area on the North-South Expressway.
More recently, a teacher and three students were killed on November 11, 2011 when their chartered bus collided with a tanker while they were on their way up Genting Highlands from Kulim, Kedah.
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