Following every fatal accident involving heavy vehicles in Malaysia, the same recurring rhetoric are voiced.
Instead of acknowledging that there is a systemic failure in Malaysia's transport enforcement and regulatory ecosystem, excuses and justifications of the same repeated themes were trudged out like a parrot.
Speeding, overloading, poor vehicle maintenance, long hours, tight delivery schedules, poor working conditions, many drivers resort to illicit drugs to stay alert, driver fatigue.
Authorities vow tighter enforcement on heavy vehicles.
These are all devastatingly familiar.
While each case may involve specific failings, such as overloading, missing seatbelts or poor vehicle maintenance, they collectively point to deep-rooted issues in enforcement consistency, compliance monitoring and institutional accountability.
With the recent case in Grik Perak, a former PM who during his tenure oversaw several fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles suggested that drivers should be subjected to drug tests before every trip.
Not to be left out, the present Transport Minister announced that with effect from 1 Oct 2025, all heavy vehicles are required to install a SLD, a speed control device or system designed to cap a vehicle's maximum speed, a move that was implemented in the mid 90s before.
The then move in the mid 90s even mandated JPJ to insist the installation of lights that would flash on top of the driver’s cabin when the speed limit was exceeded.
The move failed because the policy was successfully sabotaged by the drivers and the owners of the heavy vehicles.
This idea was revived again in July 2016 where it was announced that come 2020, all express buses in the country will come equipped with speed limiters, in an effort to reduce the rate of road accidents.
The then Transport Minister even cautioned the bus companies that if they do not comply they will be suspended.
None of those suggestions, however, acknowledged and admit that people’s attitudes are required to undergo change too.
Yes, a change in people's attitudes, both drivers of heavy vehicles and other road users, is crucial for reducing accidents involving heavy vehicles.
This includes addressing risky behaviors, promoting a safety-conscious mindset, and improving overall road safety culture.
Attitudes and risk tolerance influence driving safety.
It can’t be just a few bad drivers causing all the problems.
The good drivers too.
Our attitudes are the prime determinant of how much risk we take on the road.
A lot of the reported accidents involving heavy vehicles are largely preventable.
Using unsafe vehicles, driving carelessly or engaging in other unsafe driving behaviour such as speeding or taking insufficient rest or break periods increases the likelihood of an incident that can lead to serious or catastrophic consequences for drivers, operators and other road users.
Drivers, not just those driving heavy vehicles but also those driving passenger cars perceives that it is ‘other’ drivers and ‘other pedestrians’, not themselves, that are the risk.
Safety concerns centre on the safety of other drivers rather than their own behaviour.
What constitutes speeding is conceptualised differently for different drivers.
They speed because other drivers do so.
They perceived the speed limit as too low.
They will not be caught by the police for speeding not knowing they were speeding.
Driving within the speed limit is not seen as a quality of a good driver.
Almost all drivers believe themselves to be law-abiding but have their own definition of what constitutes ‘law-abiding’, especially with regards to driving over the speed limit.
Not that drivers don’t know speeding is dangerous.
Everyone knew but they still continue to speed themselves.
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