Father dies, son critical after being hit by truck on emergency lane
MELAKA – A 59-year old father was killed and his son critically injured after being struck by a truck after changing a punctured tyre of their car by the roadside in Jasin today.
The fatal accident happened at Kilometer 179.3 of the North-South Highway (southbound) in Jasin, where contractor Khaidzir Zainuddin, 59, succumbed to serious head injuries and died at the scene of the accident around 9.30 am.
Jasin District Police Chief Deputy Superintendent Mispani Hamdan said the victim's son Muhammad Ashraf, 22, who suffered a broken rib, was taken to the Tangkak Hospital for further treatment.
Mispani Hamdan said:"Prior to the event, the pair were reportedly driving from Kuala Lumpur to Pengerang, Johor, when their car's tyre suffered a puncture near Jasin.
"A tow truck that stopped behind the victim's car parked on the emergency lane was struck by another truck traveling from the same direction as the two victims were packing up after changing the tyre."
"The collision caused the tow truck involved to hit the two victims who were at the rear of their Mercedes Benz leading the two victims to be flung to the side of the highway."
According to transportation expert Rosli Azad, all accidents in Malaysia point to one conclusion; that roads and highways are unsafe and drastic measures are required.
Poor road design, whereby emergency lanes along the highways are too small and narrow to cater for lorries and other vehicles that have to stop for emergencies, would be the first reason why accidents happen on Malaysian roads and highways.
Rosli said:"In the case mentioned, a car with a flat tire was rammed by a truck, mainly due to the high speed of the truck, an insufficient warning sign to give notice of a broken-down car, and possibly also due to an insufficient lane provided for an emergency stop."
He stated that insufficient safety features to warn motorists of accident risks involved when they are on the roads or highways are not sufficiently provided by the authorities, such as LLM, highway operators, JKR, and local authorities.
Another reason why road accidents happen in Malaysia is that the authorities fail to take ownership of the stretch of roads or highways where they frequently occur.
"They should look at these spots and provide immediate improvements in terms of: road design, reduced speed, bigger safety lanes, more safety features, warning signs, so that further accidents can be prevented," he told Sinar Daily.
He explained that many cases of accidents after the pandemic happened because there are too many reckless drivers on the road now compared to before. With too many reckless drivers on roads or highways where heavy traffic flow is now the norm is actually a recipe for a disaster waiting to happen.
He urged the authorities to take whatever action it deemed necessary to address the high accident rate.
"There are sufficient rules and regulations that are already in place for them to act and take appropriate action to improve the road layout and design," he said.
According to Datuk Zailani Hashim, director-general of the Road Transport Department (JPJ), there was a 28 per cent rise in truck-related traffic accidents between January and June, while Royal Malaysian Police statistics show that rise in accidents involve a staggering 19,888 lorries.
