SHAH ALAM - Picking safe spots, placing police personnel at high-risk and critical locations before a convoy, and planning safety precaution measures are crucial, says expert.
Transportation planning consultant from MAG Technical and Development Consultants, Goh Bok Yen, said safety precautions must be planned and taken seriously before a convoy is executed.
"The route is fixed, and safety precautions must be planned and taken seriously.
"While crossing major roads, policemen should halt vehicles on major roads prior to the arrival of a convoy.
"Undoubtedly, convoys can't be stopped for valid reasons, but adequate precautions need to be taken as police personnel will have to face road users of different characters and different driving habits, including careless drivers," he told Sinar Daily.
Therefore, Goh urged the police personnel to carefully come up with a safe route for the arrival of a convoy.
"Accidents can occur even if slight negligence happens, and the consequences can be serious.
"Careful planning on safely en route and deployment of policemen at high-risk and critical locations to take appropriate action before the arrival of a convoy is necessary," he reasoned.
Commenting further, Highway Engineering Specialist from the National Defence Universiti of Malaya (UPNM), Professor Dr Ng Choy Peng, said there should be an earlier announcement on road closures or convoys for any events.
"Supposedly there should be a protocol or announcement if there are road closures for any events, as Le Tour Langkawi has many stops, so there should be a schedule to inform the public on a scheduled time on road closures," she said.
However, Ng said that drivers must also be observant on the road while driving, especially during peak hours.
"But as a driver, people have to be observant, especially when driving on the road early in the morning.
"In locations like Putrajaya, the Federal Highway, or the KL-Seremban Highway, it is very normal to see traffic police stopping other vehicles to allow VVIP vehicles or ambulances to cross.
"So this is something drivers should be educated about," she said.
On Wednesday, an accident occurred in Putrajaya involving a lorry carrying a load of concrete that crashed into 13 vehicles, namely a lorry, and seven vehicles. The rest were motorcycles, including a police motorcycle.
Two riders tragically died in the incident.
Kuala Lumpur police chief Datuk Allaudeen Abdul Majid said the rerouting of several police escorts was carried out in accordance with the standard operating procedure (SOP).