Runaway Trucks Are Turning Our Roads Into Killing Fields

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LAST Saturday morning, a three-tonne lorry transporting scrap material crashed heavily into three vehicles about to pass through the Bukit Kajang toll plaza.
The high speed collision sent a Honda Civic spinning, a Nissan X-Trail slamming hard into a road barrier, and a Proton X70 lurching through the plaza. The lorry finally toppled and landed on its side after passing the plaza.
Sadly, a one-year-old boy died and seven more people were injured. The accident was recorded by a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera. The video was uploaded and went viral, leaving viewers horrified.
The 42-year-old lorry driver has a criminal record and four traffic summonses. His urine was tested and came back negative for drugs or alcohol.
He claimed brake failure and had to jump out from his lorry. But the vehicle was barrelling towards the toll plaza at high speed, and he would have been badly injured landing on the road.
The bigger question now is how to prevent or reduce accidents caused by brake failures. As usual, there were plenty of opinions expressed in the aftermath of major road accidents.
One suggested that stinging on vehicle maintenance costs could have led to the tragic accident at the Bukit Kajang toll plaza.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke also weighed in and said transport companies need to be reminded that vehicle maintenance must be carried out continuously, and not wait until the Puspakom report is due.
He pointed out that Puspakom inspections are required every six months, but checks must happen all the time.
As always, talk is cheap. Who is going to give the reminders and will they be received by relevant parties?
Even if understood and agreed by transport operators, what concrete actions will they take? Do they employ their own mechanics to repair and maintain the vehicles they operate?
If they had to rely on motor workshops open to the public, will repairs be delayed if they are closed or mechanics not available? Is there a standard operating procedure (SOP) that drivers must follow should they sense the brakes are not functioning properly while on the road?
Are they required to stop there and then on the emergency lane or make their way slowly to the next Rest & Relaxation (R&R) area? Or if driving on a trunk road, should they keep going until the next town or fuel station?
Can transport companies swiftly arrange to send a team of mechanics from their regular or nearest workshop?
In any case, heavy vehicle drivers must test the brakes when going downhill, and runaway truck ramps ought to be built next to highways and roads with steep decline.
The costs for constructing safety ramps are low if they are just a side lane filled with sand or gravel to absorb the kinetic energy of a vehicle, gradually but effectively.
Also, it is about time highway concessionaires build runaway truck ramps at spots before reaching selected toll plazas, and heavy vehicle drivers are reminded to make use of them after finding the brakes had failed.
If not, our roads and toll plazas will be turned into killing fields if trucks and buses with faulty brakes are unstoppable. 
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.

The views expressed are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of  MMKtT.
- Focus Malaysia.

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