The members of TRANSIT noted this article, a reminder that talk about convenience & subsidy will never make a difference as long as attitudes do not change.
Image of the remains of the tour bus which rammed into the back of a lorry on the highway near Bentong. Image courtesy of NST.
BENTONG: An inexperienced bus driver who just obtained his licence was seriously injured along with six passengers when the vehicle crashed into the back of a lorry along the Karak Highway yesterday.
It is understood that the 21-year-old driver was drowsy and had dozed off.
It is learnt that the 40 passengers aboard the bus were Felda settlers from Jengka, Pahang, who were on the way to attend a function at the Mara Junior Science College in Trolak, Perak.
A police spokesman said the incident occurred about 1.45am yesterday morning when the tour bus failed to avoid ramming into the back of the lorry at Km 48.5 of the Karak Highway heading towards Kuala Lumpur.
“According to investigations, the bus was on the left lane and the driver could not swerve in time to avoid the lorry, which was carrying raw materials to a construction site.
“Besides the driver and six passengers who were seriously injured, 19 other passengers suffered minor injuries including cuts and bruises.”
The accident between the bus and lorry also caused a pile-up as another oncoming lorry carrying a heavy load was forced to stop as the road was not wide enough.
As the lorry stopped, the driver of a Perodua Kancil had stepped on the emergency brakes but a van behind the car could not stop in time and rammed into its back.
Both the van driver and the driver of the Kancil suffered injuries due to the collision.
The accidents resulted in nine ambulances being summoned from various nearby hospitals.
The injured were sent to Bentong Hospital for treatment and all of those who were admitted were reported to be in stable condition.
Bentong police chief Superintendent Rosli Abdul Rahim said they were investigating the cause of the accident.
“There is a possibility that the bus driver may have been speeding and this might be why the vehicle could not avoid ramming into the back of the lorry, which was quite badly damaged.
“The young bus driver broke both his legs in the accident and is also reported to have internal injuries. He has been admitted to the Temerloh Hospital in Pahang.”
Rosli also expressed surprise at why the driver was allowed to drive the bus [at night?] as he was young and inexperienced.
TRANSIT Says:
This crash, like many others, should serve as a clear reminder to those who are obsessed with making public transport “convenient” or believe that our public transport problems will be solved by “more competition” or “more investment” – you are wrong.
The basic problem with our public transport system is the lack of accountability and responsibility on the part of the government agencies and the operators – especially the operators.
No amount of money or trains or buses is going to change anything if the attitude of the operators does not change!
Transit Malaysia 