Latest news with #busAccident
Malay Mail
2 days ago
- General
- Malay Mail
Ban on night travel for university students among proposals submitted to MOHE after UPSI tragedy, says minister
PUTRAJAYA, June 11 — The Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) has received various recommendations from relevant parties on measures to prevent tragedies like the crash which claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students, early Monday morning. Its minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said that among the suggestions received was a proposal for university students to travel during the day, instead of at night, to enhance safety. 'Some have suggested that university students and undergraduates should travel during the day rather than at night, to enhance safety,' he told the media after the 'Luncheon Talk with Editors' session, in conjunction with the Asean-Malaysia Chairmanship 2025, at his ministry, here, yesterday. Zambry also said that he had been informed of a separate accident involving an express bus, early yesterday morning, which reportedly had students from Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA) among its passengers. 'I only received information about the accident this morning. Fortunately, there were no injuries,' he said. In the tragic incident early Monday morning, 15 UPSI students lost their lives when the bus they were traveling in overturned at KM53 of the East-West Highway (JRTB), near Tasik Banding, Gerik. Meanwhile, media reported that 28 passengers, including 13 UMPSA students, survived after their express bus crashed into the rear of a trailer at KM161.5 of the East Coast Highway (LPT), eastbound, shortly after midnight Monday night. — Bernama
Washington Post
2 days ago
- Climate
- Washington Post
At least 7 people have died and schoolchildren were swept away as floods and snow hit South Africa
CAPE TOWN, South Africa — At least seven people have died in flooding in South Africa after a weather front bringing heavy rain and snow hit eastern and southern provinces, officials said Tuesday. A bus carrying high school students was swept away in the floods in the Eastern Cape province and an unknown number of children were missing, the provincial government said in a statement. Three children were rescued after they clung onto trees, according to the South African National Taxi Council, which said the bus was operated by one of its members.
Free Malaysia Today
2 days ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Bus in fatal UPSI crash had no seat belts, says Loke
The bus had been travelling from Jerteh, Terengganu, to Tanjung Malim, Perak, when the accident took place. (Facebook pic) PETALING JAYA : The bus involved in the crash that killed 15 students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) on the East-West Highway yesterday was not fitted with passenger seat belts, transport minister Loke Siew Fook said. He said the bus was manufactured in 2013, seven years before seat belt installation became mandatory for newly manufactured buses, Berita Harian reported. 'But in the incident that occurred on the East-West Highway, the bus was 12 years old and built in 2013, so there were no seat belts (for passengers),' he was quoted as saying after an event in George Town, Penang. The minister also acknowledged concerns over road safety and urged all parties, including transport operators, to take responsibility. 'It's not that we don't have laws or regulations. Some say there are no laws, but we do have laws mandating both the installation and use of seat belts,' he said. 'The challenge is enforcement – how do we monitor compliance at all times? I understand that everyone is worried and concerned about road safety.' Loke said the transport ministry is now studying proposals to make seatbelt use compulsory on all express buses, regardless of when they were built. The ministry is also looking at mandating speed limiters and dashboard cameras for heavy vehicles. He added that safety-related policies often faced pushback for being either too strict or too lax. However, he insisted that any new rule must be backed by industry players and the public. 'When we implement something, it must be supported by all parties, including industry players and operators. 'Don't say it's burdensome or expensive when we introduce mandatory requirements,' he said.
Malay Mail
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
After fatal Gerik bus crash, Transport Ministry targets tampered speed limiters, seatbelt compliance
GEORGE TOWN, June 10 — Following yesterday's bus accident that killed 15 students, the Transport Ministry is considering stricter enforcement measures for heavy vehicles to improve road safety compliance. Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said there are challenges in ensuring compliance by companies operating heavy vehicles including lorries and buses. He said the ministry is now looking at using technology such as speed limiters and on-board video cameras to be installed on heavy vehicles as safety measures along with making seat belts mandatory for express buses. Loke noted that while speed limiters are currently installed in heavy vehicles, they are frequently tampered with, rendering them ineffective for speed control. 'The device is installed in heavy vehicles to prevent them from speeding above the speed limit but what we are seeing is that, the devices are often tampered with,' he told reporters during a press conference after officiating CruiseWorld Malaysia 2025 here today. He revealed that these heavy vehicles install speed limiters to pass Puspakom checks, only to tamper with them immediately afterward so they can exceed speed limits. The minister emphasised the need to prevent tampering with these devices through stricter regulations and enforcement measures. Loke explained that while the ministry already mandates speed limiters in heavy vehicles through existing frameworks, additional safeguards are necessary to ensure compliance post-installation. Stronger enforcement mechanisms, he added, would be crucial to maintaining the integrity of these safety devices. As for the possibility of installing on-board video cameras on heavy vehicles, he said it is another matter that the ministry is looking into. 'Video cameras are not compulsory now but we need to look into it to improve safety,' he said. He added that it is now mandatory for new buses built from 2020 onwards to have seatbelts for all passengers. 'However, in the East-West Highway incident, the bus was built in 2013, it is 12 years old, so it does not have seatbelts,' he said. Although seatbelts are mandatory in new buses, Loke noted that ensuring passenger compliance remains a challenge. 'We have laws that make it mandatory to install and wear seatbelts but the challenge is to ensure compliance,' he said. Loke said they will also look into ensuring compliance with wearing seatbelts by installing sensors, similar to those in cars. 'In cars, if we don't wear the seatbelts, it will beep so we can look into making it mandatory that the driver ensures all passengers put their seatbelts on or the bus will not move,' he said. The minister stressed that the main problems regarding speed limiters and seatbelts were driver and passenger compliance. 'Our challenge is to ensure compliance, it is not that we do not have laws, we have laws but the challenge is to ensure the laws are complied with,' he said. He said when a new regulation is implemented, making some measures mandatory, some parties will complain. 'If we are not strict, we are criticised,' he said. He said everyone, including the industry players and the public, must cooperate when it comes to compliance to road safety measures. 'We don't want that when we make something mandatory, the operators complain that they are affected, that the new measures are a burden and incurred additional costs,' he said. He reminded the operators that any safety measures implemented are for the sake of human life. 'So, for example, the wearing of seatbelts in new buses is already mandatory but there was lack of compliance by the operators and passengers,' he said. He said they will need to look at how to ensure this is implemented more effectively.
