Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Many accidents are due to indifference, poor driving and sheer recklessness, but most happen when drivers are in a hurry
Letter of the week
The winner receives a dining voucher worth RM100 from Nando’s
The authorities are fond of citing speeding as the main cause of road accidents but a more accurate assessment is needed for effective measures can be introduced to reduce them.
Chances of being involved in an accident may actually be lesser for a car speeding above 110kph than those locked in bumper-to-bumper traffic, when all conditions, such as driver, vehicle, highway, traffic and weather are good, other than violating the speed limits.
Fatal accidents can occur at any speed. From time to time, we hear tragic news of children rolled over by cars driven out of the driveway.
Many accidents are a result of carelessness, negligence and poor driving skills, but most happen when drivers are in a rush, especially if they are reckless.
Determining the reasons and finding the solutions as to why motorists rush ought to be given importance, as it is probably the main cause of road accidents, and not speeding per se.
Some motorists are habitual rushers. They always rush for no good reason and are a nuisance on the road by driving recklessly, weaving in and out of traffic and posing a danger to others.
Some may be late for appointments and a few could be in an emergency. Anyone caught in such situations and using hand phones or texting while driving to boot, are courting a bigger disaster.
Then there are those who always wait until the last minute, whether it is starting a journey or paying their monthly bills. Whether the bills are settled at the beginning of each month or the end, they are still paid 30 days apart. Likewise, for driving, it is better to wait at the point of arrival than at departure.
Hilly areas often prove to be a mountain too high for many drivers and vehicles. Some motorists driving vehicles with automatic transmissions do not shift down from (Drive) mode so as not to overload the engine while climbing or using the engine to slow down the vehicle when descending.
Those who drive manual transmission vehicles may also coast downhill on free gear to save fuel. Continuous and prolonged braking will cause overheating resulting in brake fade or total failure, especially for older or poor conditioned vehicles.
Many of the older lorries and buses are fitted with braking systems that are just adequate for their underpowered engines.
When fully or overloaded, these vehicles crawl at snail’s pace up steep roads and become uncontrollable if they speed downhill.
The recent bus crash at Genting Sempah was likely due to a convergence of many factors, such as the driver was in a rush and driving a fully loaded old bus down an unfamiliar twisty mountain road at night.
For buses, those used in excursions are the most dangerous as many of these drivers are unfamiliar with the routes and often behind schedules. As such, the Land Public Transport Commission (SPAD) should review the issuance of the relatively new Bas Catar (Chartered Bus) licences.
Rather than operating more Bas Persiaran, tour bus operators are now applying for Bas Catar licences to circumvent the mandatory requirement of having a licensed Tourist Guide on board or put up with the inconvenience of applying for an exemption for each trip.
Unlike stage, express, factory and school buses that run on fixed routes and schedules, tour and charter buses, together with the drivers, are idling half the time and are only on the road when booked. As such, tour and chartered bus operators are bound to take in part time drivers during peak periods when all their buses, including the oldest, are utilized and this is when safety can be compromised.
Enforcement officers may be able to stop express bus operators from flouting the rules at bus stations, particularly during holiday seasons, but miss out other buses.
Tour and chartered buses can pick up and drop off passengers door-to-door but are not allowed to do so near bus stations.
One of the perks driving a bus outstation is the free food and cigarettes available at every stop.
Some express bus drivers may drive faster at the thought of smoking their next cigarette. Seated behind the wheel after a heavy meal tends to make drivers drowsy and they will surely dose off if the vehicles are driven slowly.
Therefore, these drivers tend to drive fast to stay awake. They are caught between the devil and the deep blue sea.
The authorities should also look into stage buses being driven and operated like oversized mini-buses in Kuala Lumpur. They are a menace on city roads, especially when trying to race ahead of other buses to pick up passengers.
These buses are involved in frequent accidents as evident by the many ‘battle scars’ they carry on their panels. The dents are crudely beaten back and not repainted, to minimize downtime.
Dangerous driving must be curbed on city streets, country roads and highways, as otherwise numerous accidents will continue to occur unabated.
YS Chan
Kuala Lumpur
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