Will Banning Night Travel For College Students Help?
Vetting for competent drivers and passing Puspakom inspections before allowing vehicles on the road would also make it safer.
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Various safety proposals have been shared by relevant parties with the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in an effort to prevent tragedies like the recent bus crash that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students on 9 June.
Higher education minister Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abd Kadir said one of the suggestions he received was a proposal for university students to only travel during the day instead of night, to enhance safety, Malay Mail reported.
“Some have suggested that university students and undergraduates should travel during the day rather than at night, to enhance safety,” he told reporters during an event at his ministry recently.
READ MORE: [Watch] Dashcam Footage Emerges Of Fatal Bus Crash That Killed 15 UPSI Students
It’s true that driving at night may increase the risk of a road accident due to poorer visibility.
However, this is not a one size fits all solution.
The bus that was carrying the UPSI students crashed after the driver lost control of the vehicle.
The driver, who was also injured and currently hospitalised, claimed that the bus’ brakes had failed suddenly.
Police investigations had also found that the driver has a total of 18 summonses issued against him, and 13 of those are for speeding.
Meanwhile, the bus itself has a record of 21 summonses for traffic offences, according to Bukit Aman Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department Director Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri.
Nur Irdina Huri, a 29-year-old student who survived the crash claimed that the driver was speeding, as she felt the bus swaying while they were going down a winding road, Harian Metro reported.
A few folks on social media pointed out that a lot of times, night travel cannot be avoided and the focus should be on ensuring heavy vehicles pass important inspections first before hitting the road. Additionally, a person who has multiple traffic offences in their record should face harsher penalties.
Some also criticised the proposal to ban night travel, inferring accidents happen during the day too.
READ MORE: UPSI Crash: Bus Operator’s Permit Revoked, RM10k Financial Aid For Bereaved Families
Poor vehicle maintenance or inspection negligence might have been the root of the problem
The driver, who has multiple traffic offences on record including speeding, should be the easiest person to blame. After all, many of the students who survived claimed he was speeding and was not driving responsibly.
On the other hand, many recent traffic accidents this year and late last year have been reported due to poor vehicle maintenance and operators finding loopholes to skip inspections by the Computerised Vehicle Inspection Service (Puspakom).
A combination of these two is a recipe for disaster.
Conversely, a responsible driver who is vetted by transport operators and vehicles that are checked by Puspakom before they are even allowed to set rubber on the road would most likely reduce road catastrophes by a large margin.
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