Malaysians were shocked; no one would have expected such tragedies to take place on our highways. It’s unfathomable and it’s very sad.

How can one deal with the loss of 24 lives, all still young and in their prime, in just two road accidents?

It’s tragic and beyond words. This must not happen again, please God!

On May 13, nine Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) officers were killed in a tragic road accident near Teluk Intan in Perak.

The nine personnel—eight who died at the accident site on and one who passed away at the Teluk Intan Hospital red zone—were in an FRU vehicle when a sand-laden lorry crashed head-on into the vehicle.

Barely a month later, on June 9, a crash involving a bus and a Perodua Alza claimed the lives of 15 students from Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI) on the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding at around 1 am.

The bus was transporting students from Jerteh, Terengganu, to UPSI’s main campus in Tanjung Malim, Perak.

Some victims were thrown from the vehicles, while others managed to escape.

A total of 24 lives lost senselessly in just two road accidents which could have been avoided if only the drivers involved were more careful, alert and responsible.

“Accidents, and particularly street and highway accidents, do not happen—they are caused.” Factual words indeed from American author Ernest Greenwood.

In the case of the UPSI bus, it was earlier reported that the bus was speeding but the driver later clarified that the brakes had failed and he was having a tough time controlling the vehicle as it was going downhill when the mishap took place.

However, according to the police, the driver had a record of 18 traffic summonses, of which 13 were for speeding, three for not wearing a seatbelt, one for not having a third brake light, and another for involvement in a previous accident.

Well, I’ll leave it to you to form your own opinion whether a person with such a record is fit to drive a public vehicle.

In the FRU accident, a preliminary report by the task force probing the tragedy last month has revealed that the tipper lorry involved was significantly overloaded.

The report said investigations had revealed gaps in the safety management and operational practices of the tipper lorry.

It said that the lorry, at the time of the incident, was carrying 40,960 kg of gravel, exceeding the permitted limit of 24,000 kg by 70.67 percent.

Well, overloading is not an uncommon practice and it begs the question—how is the enforcement on the part of the authorities concerned?

Lackadaisical enforcement of traffic rules is undeniably a major contributor to road fatalities.

Preventing road accidents is a shared responsibility between citizens and the authorities.

While infrastructure, vehicle condition, and driver behavior also play critical roles, the failure to strictly enforce road safety laws often exacerbates the risks and undermines any efforts to improve safety outcomes.

As is usually the case after a serious road tragedy, we heard the lamentations, warnings and proposed road safety measures from the authorities. However, no one knows whether such action plans ever get to see the light of day.

In the wake of the Gerik bus tragedy, Transport Minister Anthony Loke revealed that speed limiters, in-vehicle video cameras and the mandatory use of seat belts in express buses are among safety measures that may be implemented soon.

He explained that many heavy vehicles had working speed limiters to pass inspection at the Computerized Vehicle Inspection Center (Puspakom), but it would later be modified for the vehicles to travel at high speed.

In the Gerik accident, the bus was not equipped with seat belts.

“Since 2020, it has been mandatory for all new buses to be equipped with seat belts for all passengers. However, in this case, the bus was built in 2013. It is 12 years old and not equipped with seat belts.”

Loke had earlier announced that several concerns over road safety along the East-West High­way would be brought up at the Cabinet meeting.

“We urgently need to implement drastic and immediate measures to prioritize road safety, especially on the East-West High­way,” he said.

Let’s hope that for the sake of those dependent on public transport, Loke and his ministry would act and live by their slogan of prioritizing road safety at all times.

I don’t think we should allow such senseless deaths on our highways to go on. We must put a stop to it.

At times, you can’t help feeling that nobody cares anymore. Or do they?

Let us all be mindful of one important factor—preventing road accidents is a shared responsibility between citizens and the authorities.

Every stakeholder in society— from drivers and pedestrians to policymakers and vehicle manufacturers—has a crucial role to play in ensuring road safety.

Let us pray that there will be no more of such horrific accidents involving the senseless loss of two dozen innocent lives in just two mishaps in less than a month.

Spare us the tragedies; we have gone through enough pain and seen enough sorrow and suffering to last us a lifetime.

(Francis Paul Siah is a veteran Sarawak editor and currently heads the Movement for Change Sarawak, MoCS. He can be reached at [email protected].)