HASBI: 652 ACCIDENTS INVOLVING HEAVY VEHICLES RECORDED IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2024

KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 (Bernama) – A total of 652 accidents involving heavy vehicles such as container lorries, lorries, and express buses were reported in the first quarter of 2024, the Dewan Rakyat was told today.

Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Hasbi Habibollah said of this number, 287 accidents resulted in fatalities, 95 with serious injuries and light injuries (270).

“The accidents involving heavy vehicles in Malaysia were caused by drivers’ negligence such as driving while drowsy, driving over the speed limit and due to vehicles not properly maintained," he said during the oral question-and-answer session.

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He said this to a question from Syed Ibrahim Syed Noh (PH-Ledang) who wanted to know the statistics of accidents involving heavy vehicles in the first quarter of the year as well as measures taken to reduce the number of accidents.

Hasbi said the Ministry of Transport (MOT), through its agency the Road Transport Department (JPJ), always carries out studies regarding the best strategy to deal with the issue of heavy vehicles that do not comply with the rules and cause road accidents.

“One of the main actions implemented to address the issue is increasing enforcement activities by the JPJ involving the regulation of vehicle load and speed limits for heavy vehicles, in addition to operating 53 enforcement stations (or weighing stations) nationwide. The JPJ is also supplied with 75 units of portable weighing equipment for enforcement purposes,” he said.

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He said for last year, a total of 45,015 summons notices were issued that involved offences for carrying dangerous loads and overloading whereas until April (this year), a total of 9,214 summons notices had been issued.

Hasbi said the MOT and Public Works Ministry are also in the final stages of developing the ‘’High Speed – Weigh in Motion’’ (HS-WIM) system to enable heavy vehicle enforcement activities to be conducted in real time and automatically without the need for the vehicle to stop to be weighed.

He said the HS-WIM system is expected to be able to expand the reach, and improve compliance and further strengthen the effectiveness of enforcement on vehicle load limit regulations as well as be a long-term solution in dealing with the issue of heavy vehicle load limits.

In response to Syed Ibrahim's additional question about the action taken on the issue of heavy vehicles stopping on the sides of the highways near the rest and recreation (R&R) areas, Hasbi said that summonses were issued to those who parked vehicles in unauthorised areas.

"We hope the Malaysian Highway Authority (LLM) and the operator of the North-South Expressway (PLUS) in the long term will have or build more parking lots for lorries in the R&R areas," he also said.

-- BERNAMA