BUS CRASH: File photo shows firefighters helping an elderly woman in an accident involving a Brunei registered express bus at KM8.9 Jalan Ranau-Tamparuli, Sabah. — Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) has found double decker buses to be not safe or suitable for long distance journeys especially on winding roads as their build could affect the stability of such bus and pose a high risk in relation to road accidents, said Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Abdul Rahim Bakri.
He said double decker buses were only suitable within town areas or on highways and not on winding roads and hilly areas.
“The use of double decker buses in mountainous regions with steep slopes like in Sabah, Sarawak and Cameron Highlands is not suitable as they have high centre of gravity,” he told Bernama yesterday.
Abdul Rahim said the Land Public Transport Commission (Spad) and the Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board (CVLB) should review the routes suitable for this type of buses to avoid accidents from happening.
“Approval for the use of this type of vehicle is subject to safety inspections by the Road Transport Department’s (JPJ) automative engineering division apart from technical inspections by the computerised vehicle inspection centre (Puspakom), he said.
Elaborating on the accident involving a Brunei tourist bus in Tuaran, Sabah on Tuesday, Abdul Rahim said the incident should be a lesson for all bus operators.
“Bus operators especially those providing long distance service to the east coast of Sabah through mountainous routes should be careful and ensure buses are well-maintained.
“Bus companies should also ensure their drivers are not driving under fatigue which could be dangerous to passengers,” he said.
He said even though the accident involved an express bus registered in Brunei and all victims were Brunei nationals, the ministry through JPJ would carry out an investigation on the case to identify the cause of the accident.
Seven people were killed while 21 others were injured in the accident when the bus which was returning from Tawau to Kota Kinabalu lost control and overturned at Km8.9 Jalan Ranau-Tamparuli.
Meanwhile, Abdul Rahim said 6,872 road fatalities were reported last year and of the total, about one per cent of the deaths involved bus accidents. — Bernama