KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 29 — Closed-circuit televisions (CCTVs) and safety belts in buses will now be made mandatory, in an effort to step up safety measures to prevent accidents, Putrajaya has revealed.

In a reply to Bentong MP Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai in Parliament, Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Aziz Kaprawi said a circular was issued by the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) on September 9, which included safety guidelines recommended by the United Nations.

“Every passenger seat in buses will have safety belts and the maintenance procedure will adhere to the international standards, and a GPS, an anti-braking system and a brake safety system such as engine retarder and an exhaust brake will be made mandatory.

“Every vehicle will also have a CCTV in the dashboard which is an appropriate location to record the drivers’ behaviour during the journey, and the recording has to be kept at least for one week,” the Sri Gading MP said.

He said the new safety measures will be mandatory for new buses operating in the highlands, while the current ones will be “given time” to install the new features.

At a press conference later, he said reports in the the accident by various agencies have been compiled and will be delivered to an independent committee headed by Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye next week.

The committee will then be given two months to submit their recommendations to the acting Transport Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein, which will then be submitted to the Cabinet for further action.

Although initially saying that he could not divulge the findings of the reports, Abdul Aziz said among the factors which contributed to the crash were speeding and the road condition.

Abdul Aziz also said that the Road Transport Department (JPJ) has set up a drivers’ profile section to suspend or revoke licences under the demerit system, as well as to suspend or revoke the licences of drug addicts, and of commercial drivers with outstanding summons. The new section is an upgraded version of the current traffic offence filtering system, also known as Kejara.

By the end of the year, JPJ will come up with a list of “dangerous” commercial drivers, with a focus on those with the highland route, he said.

“The circular also included the standard operating procedures to manage the drivers, in this context, it will be mandatory for the drivers to have at least three years of experience with PSV (Public Service Vehicle Licence) before they are given the highland route.

“The drivers will be also given training programmes, recognised by SPAD from time to time, from the aspect of driving in the highlands and the drivers will need approval from a supervisor to start the journey based on the safety checklist and bus management will have to monitor every bus’ journey in every aspect especially in adhering to the speed limit. The drivers will need to record the journey with a GPS and the supervisor needs to monitor every safety aspect, daily,” he said.

The deputy minister also said that the late bus driver in the Genting crash had 15 summonses for speeding, and another for obstructing traffic.

However, no blacklist action could be taken against the driver because he was not charged in court for the offences, Abdul Aziz said.