Genting bus crash prompts RTD to profile drivers
The Road Transport Department now has powers to take action against drivers with unpaid traffic summonses.
KUALA LUMPUR: The Road Transport Department (RTD) now has powers to suspend or revoke the licenses of drivers with unpaid traffic summonses, after its failure to blacklist the bus driver responsible for the Aug 21 Genting Highlands’ fatal road accident.
The bus driver, Lim Kok Ho, had 16 unpaid traffic summonses prior to the crash – 15 for speeding and one for obstructing traffic – and was allowed to continue driving because he had yet to be prosecuted in court.
“The RTD has set up a new section called the driver’s profile section which allows the RTD to suspend or revoke the driving license of drivers via the demerit system, to suspend or revoke the license of drug addicts, and of those with unpaid traffic summonses.
“This section replaces the current Kejara system which only allows the RTD to suspend and revoke the licenses based on the demerit system,” Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz Kaprawi (BN-Sri Gading) told the Dewan Rakyat today.
He was responding to a question from Liow Tiong Lai (BN-Bentong) on the steps taken by the Transport Ministry to ensure a repeat of the road accident did not occur.
“With this new profiling system, we will be able to profile dangerous drivers and take action against those drivers with many summonses, who may endanger the lives of others,” assured Abdul Aziz.
Apart from the profiling system, the deputy transport minister said the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) had set up new guidelines for bus operators at highland areas.
In a Sept 9 circular, all buses must be equipped with closed circuit cameras (CCTVs) at the dashboard to record the drivers’ actions throughout the journey. The CCTV recordings must be stored for at least a week.
Bus drivers are now required to have at least three years’ experience driving a public transportation vehicle and must record their journey using the global positioning system (GPS).
The bus operators will monitor the bus’ journey through the GPS, and are to ensure that the drivers adhere to road rules, especially the speed limit. Bus operators must take action against drivers that violate the road rules.
Thirty six passengers and the bus driver were killed when their bus plunged into a 200-foot ravine on the way down from Genting Highlands. It was the worst road accident in Malaysian history.
When met outside the Parliament, Aziz said he could not reveal more details on the accident as he still waiting for reports from the committee investigating the tragedy.
“There are many factors that caused the accident. Speeding is one reason. The driver was driving at 120 kilometres per hour (KpH) while the speed limit was 50 Kph.
“Anyway, I can’t reveal anything more pending details from the committee chaired by Lee Lam Thye,” he said.
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I want to bring to attention one of the reason given by our brainless Deputy Transport Minister Abdul Aziz a self proclaim God who said that the cause of the accident in Genting which killed 37 people was because Lim Kok Ho the bus driver was driving at 120 kilometres per hour.
People who have driven up and down Genting Highland will and can vouch that it is not possible for ANYONE to drive at that speed especially that corner where the accident happened. Even Michael Schumacher the Seven Time Formula One Driver will not test death there.
It is to be expected that the cause of the accident will shift solely to Lim Kok Ho. Even in death there is no peace.
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