Yet another express bus crash

Does anyone give a damn?

Express bus rams into the back of a lorry on the East Coast Highway

Three passengers were injured, one seriously when an express bus rammed into a lorry at kilometre 94.8 of the East-Coast Highway early yesterday morning, 10th April 2008

One of the injured passengers, Muhamad Zuhairi Wahab, 33, had both of his feet severed in the crash, whilst two ladies in their 50s suffered less serious injuries in the 03.30 incident. The injured persons were all eventually sent to hospital for treatment.

Muhamad Zuhairi, a bus conductor from Pekan, was sitting in the co-driver's seat when the incident happened.

It is understood that the co- driver was sleeping on the back seat of the bus at that time of the incident.

The head of the Temerloh district police A C Ahmad Fadzilah Mohamed said the express bus with 35 passengers on board crashed into the slow-moving lorry on a steep incline.

Both vehicles were reported to have been on their way to Kuala Lumpur, the express bus was heading from Tasik Kenyir, whilst the lorry was heading from Kuala Terengganu.

Yet another express bus crash, what are the authorities, such as the Ministry of Transport, and the agencies under it, the Road Transport Department and the Road Safety Department, doing? SWEET FA!

What are the Royal Malaysian Police, especially the Traffic Police, doing? SWEET FA!

What is the Highways Authority doing? SWEET FA!

What is being done by the super profitable toll collecting, blood-sucking highway concessionaires to make the highways they operate safer? SWEET FA!

Welcome to the Malaysia and the
HIGHWAYS TO HELL

There has been, as is the norm in Malaysia, lots and lots of talk about road safety, but on the ground, bugger-all has been done.

As well as the Road Safety Department,there is even a Malaysian Road Safety Research Institute, (MALAYSIA INSTITUTE OF ROAD SAFETY RESEARCH [MIROS]) but they both seem to be totally useless as there has been no reduction in the carnage on Malaysia's roads and highways since it was established.

In a nutshell, nobody give a damn, lives are lost, families are devastated, maniacs drive public service vehicles, the enforcements authorities have overlapping responsibilities, so as a result all do very little or absolutely nothing.

Reckless driving, speeding, racing, vehicles in an un-roadworthy condition, potholes, road sign obscured by trees and other obstructions, are commonplace.

These things are patently obvious to any highway user, so how come the authorities do not see them?

NOTE: In Malaysia the word "Express" is taken to mean:

'driven as fast as possible regardless of the speed limit and without any consideration for the safety of the passengers'.

It should, of course mean:

'without stopping, but driven safely and in accordance with the law'


Nihil obstat

- Nothing stands in the way