-lpr.jpg "Fire and Rescue Department personnel conduct a search and rescue operation in the waters below Penang Bridge January 20, 2019. u00e2u20acu201d Bernama pic")
GEORGE TOWN, Jan 21 — Highway operator Plus Malaysia Sdn Bhd and the operators of both bridges linking Penang island to its mainland half have been told to relook at the height of their respective crash barriers after a car plunged into the narrow channel early yesterday morning.
Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow today said he asked all three companies to see if the heights of the bridge crash barriers conformed to safety standards.
Penang Bridge Sdn Bhd and Jambatan Kedua Sdn Bhd operate the 13.5km first bridge and the 24km second bridge named the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge, respectively.
“If it is in accordance with required standards, then the height of the barriers will have to be maintained; if not, the barriers will have to be raised,” he told reporters after attending a road safety event here.
Chow said the crash barriers were effective for ‘normal’ accidents, but the Sunday incident warranted a relook.
“But this is a high-impact accident so maybe the barriers were not enough to stop the vehicle from falling into the sea,” he said.
A collision between two cars at KM4 on Penang Bridge at about 2am yesterday sent a white SUV purportedly driven by 20-year-old student Moey Yun Peng flying into the sea below.
Search and rescue operations are underway for the missing Moey, but strong currents are making efforts difficult.
“If we look at the video of the accident on the bridge, we can see the car speeding and overtaking before losing control. This showed how important it is for drivers to abide by traffic rules and not take risks,” Chow said.
A short clip from a dashboard camera of another car that caught the predawn incident has gone viral on social media.
Chow said 80 per cent of accidents were due to driver attitude, while the remaining are due to the weather and road conditions.
Earlier, the chief minister said Penang recorded between 380 and 420 fatal accidents each year.
He said the number of fatal accidents in Penang between 2016 and 2017 dropped by 10 cases from 411 cases to 401 cases.
