THE Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) has revoked the operating permit of a transport company following its lorry driver’s involvement in multi-vehicle accident that killed a 34-month-old baby at KM69 of the East-West Highway near Gerik, Perak, said Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook.
“I hope this will serve as a reminder to all operators to always give serious attention to the safety issues of all their respective vehicles,” he said on his official Facebook account today.
Urging people to value life and always prioritise safety, Loke said as minister, he will help the private sector in reducing bureaucracy but he will never compromise on road safety issues.
“Human lives are too important and take priority above all other matters,” he added.
It was previously reported that the Transport Ministry has temporarily suspended the permit of the lorry operator, with the minister directing the Road Transport Department Malaysia and APAD to conduct an audit on the company’s fleet of lorries.
A dashcam footage of the incident, which had since gone viral, showed a lorry overloaded with white ceiling material crashing into vehicles on the opposite lane at a bend along the stretch.
Gerik district police chief Superintendent Zulkifli Mahmood told Bernama on Dec 12 that the incident happened around 11am on Oct 29.
Police had also confirmed that a 47-year-old lorry driver had been detained at a roadblock in Batu Melintang, Jeli, Kelantan before being transferred to the Gerik district police headquarters for investigation.
“The accident happened after the white ceiling load on the trailer, which was heading from Gerik to Jeli, fell off the vehicle and landed on a Subaru Forester when the trailer was negotiating a bend. Three other vehicles were also involved in the accident,” said Zulkifi.
The 29-year-old driver of the Subaru Forester was unharmed, he said, but his wife, 31, was critically hurt and taken to the Tanah Merah Hospital in Kelantan, while the other victims suffered minor injuries. – Dec 23, 2022
Main photo credit: Utusan
