Teluk Intan crash: FRU truck lacked seat belts; lorry violated GPS rules, says Transport Ministry
The FRU truck, which was carrying 18 personnel from Unit 5 Sungai Senam, lacked essential passive safety features, including seat belts in the rear cabin and front seats, according to a report published in Berita Harian today.
The bench-type rear seats had no restraints, and the absence of seat belts is believed to have significantly increased the severity of injuries during the May 13 collision.
Investigators found that most of the passengers were likely thrown forward upon impact, particularly towards the front-left section of the cabin, causing multiple secondary impacts between individuals and the cabin interior.
Unsecured objects in the cabin may have also turned into projectiles, compounding the risk.
'The combination of missing restraint systems and unsecured objects is believed to be a major contributing factor to the high number of severe injuries and fatalities in this incident,' the report stated. It added that urgent attention is needed to improve safety standards in such vehicles.
Meanwhile, in another report published by Buletin TV3 today, the same report also revealed that the lorry involved, which was transporting stones, had not met mandatory GPS installation and operational requirements as stipulated under Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) guidelines.
The lorry's GPS system was inactive, prompting the ministry to issue a show-cause letter on May 23.
This non-compliance breached Item 11 of the Service Level Requirements and Section 57 of the Land Public Transport Act 2010 (Act 715). The guidelines require all commercial vehicles to be fitted with functional GPS to monitor speed and location, with exemptions only for school buses operating across fewer than three districts.
Operators are expected to use GPS data for monitoring, disciplinary action, and record-keeping, while preventing tampering or data falsification. Failure to comply could result in fines, imprisonment, or suspension or revocation of licenses.
While dashcams are not yet mandatory, the ministry said new safety regulations may require their installation starting in early 2026.
The crash on May 13 occurred at approximately 8.50am, killing eight officers at the scene, with another later succumbing to injuries at Teluk Intan Hospital.
Nine others were injured.
The FRU personnel were en route back to Ipoh after completing duty at the Chitrapournami celebration.
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