SINGAPORE – Concern in Malaysia over a multi-vehicle highway crash that killed seven people on Dec 23 has prompted the authorities to step up enforcement against errant heavy vehicle operators.
More than 1,400 deaths involving heavy vehicles were reported in the last six years, the traffic police said, as Malaysia’s road transport authority vowed to tighten its road enforcement and enforce checks on the roadworthiness of heavy commercial vehicles in the country.
The fatal pile-up on the North-South Expressway (Plus) in Melaka took place after the front wheel of a southbound lorry became dislodged and landed in the middle of the highway, Alor Gajah district police chief Ashari Abu Samah told local media.
A tour bus on the southbound highway hit the wheel and careened into the northbound side of the highway, colliding with a smaller truck and two cars going in the opposite direction.
The bus driver and five members of a family travelling in one car were killed.
A 66-year-old Singaporean woman who was on the tour bus was also among those who died, and 33 others were injured.
In a statement on Christmas Eve, Malaysia’s Transport Minister Anthony Loke expressed his condolences to the families affected by the accident, and vowed action by the Road Transport Department (JPJ) against the operators of the lorry and tour bus.
“JPJ will continue to conduct strict enforcement action on heavy commercial vehicles to ensure all safety aspects are abided by for the safety of road users,” he said.
Datuk Aedy Fadly Ramli, JPJ’s director-general, said on Dec 24 that JPJ will seize commercial vehicles and revoke the vehicle ownership of those who fail to comply with rules under the Land Transport Act 2010, through a special operation to be conducted nationwide.
The upcoming operation will include checks on the loads being carried, documentation and traffic violations.
On social media, users singled out weak enforcement in ensuring roadworthiness of heavy vehicles in Malaysia and the lack of safety measures taken by tour bus operators as contributory factors to the high rate of fatal accidents. Netizens also raised the issue of the poorly lit road at the location of the accident, near the Ayer Keroh rest stop along Plus.
“What is the government doing to lessen all these accidents involving heavy vehicles every day on our highways?” asked Facebook user Jimmy Leong in the comment section of a post showing photos of the accident site. Another user Izzah Lah noted that there was no lighting on the stretch of the highway where the accident happened.
“With roads this dark, even for experienced drivers, we can only see the tyre on the road when we are near it and if we are lucky to see it, otherwise nothing can be done.”
In Malaysia, all commercial vehicles need to undergo routine inspections at Computerised Vehicle Inspection Centres, or Puspakom, every six months, but it is not clear if the rule is strictly enforced.
Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department director Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri from Malaysia’s police headquarters told Bernama news agency that some 1,457 deaths were reported out of 3,500 accidents involving lorries across Malaysia from January 2019 to November 2024, a figure that he called “worrying”.
As for fatalities involving buses, Datuk Seri Yusri said there were 153 deaths out of 548 accidents over the same period.
Malaysia recorded a total of 6,443 road fatalities in 2023.
The Royal Malaysia Police said on Dec 24 that a total of 5,364 deaths were recorded in fatal accidents from January to October 2024, of which 825 involved lorries.
Mr Wan Agyl Wan Hassan, founder of transportation think-tank My Mobility Vision, told The Straits Times that the authorities should implement stricter oversight and adopt smarter use of technology to ensure safer roads and better vehicle maintenance.
“The Ayer Keroh tragedy should be a turning point, pushing us to prioritise prevention, accountability, and safety through real, actionable reforms instead of mere reactions,” he said.
- Harith Mustaffa is a journalist covering Malaysia for The Straits Times, with a focus on Johor.
Join ST’s WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
