Heavy vehicles on Malaysian roads: A growing safety concern

KUALA LUMPUR – Not a day goes by without a tragedy involving heavy vehicles.

This is the conclusion drawn from the statistics by the police, which revealed that 825 lorries were involved in fatal accidents in the first ten months of this year.

On average, three lorries were involved in accidents daily, which contributed to 5,364 fatalities compared to 6,024 throughout 2023.

Federal police Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department (JSPT) director Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri said that accidents involving heavy vehicles made up part of the total 17,905 vehicles involved in fatal accidents from January to October.

“Of this total, 15,402 involved cars, followed by motorcycles (1,040), four-wheel drives (619) and pedestrians (19),” he told Sinar.

Yusri also said that 38,367 traffic summonses were issued to commercial vehicles for various offences from January to September during 4,822 operations conducted nationwide.

“We also impounded 177 commercial vehicles and noted the increase in accidents involving heavy vehicles recently,” he said.

He explained that the main offences detected include lorries carrying improperly secured and hazardous loads, worn-out tires and malfunctioning signal lights and brakes.

“Small lorries, trailers and container trucks are the top contributors to accidents involving commercial vehicles,” he added.

Yusri emphasised that his department is proactive in conducting enforcement operations.

“We will not compromise and will act firmly to ensure the safety of all road users,” he stressed.

He also reminded all heavy vehicle drivers experiencing breakdowns to put up sufficient warning signs to alert other road users.

“Vehicles that have broken down should remain in the emergency lane and ensure ample warning signs are placed as early notice. This step is crucial to avoid accidents involving vehicles stopped in the emergency lane,” he said.

He urged commercial vehicle operators and employers to conduct thorough internal screenings.

“This is to ensure the health, readiness and driving skills of drivers. Routine maintenance must also be adhered to and carried out without fail, along with inspections to certify the vehicle's roadworthiness,” he added.

The increasing presence of heavy vehicles continued to raise public concern about road safety, aside from causing congestion, especially during festive seasons.

Most recently, on Sunday, a tanker lorry was reported to have blocked the road at Kilometre 264.4 of the North-South Expressway near the Terowong Menora in Ipoh.

According to a post by Plus Malaysia Berhad (Plus) on X, the incident resulted in all northbound lanes being blocked, causing traffic to come to a standstill for more than 6.5 kilometres.

Previously, a study by five researchers from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and the Malaysian Highway Authority shared on the Public Health Facebook page found that although heavy vehicles only accounted for nine per cent of highway traffic in 2021, they were involved in nearly 50 per cent of fatal accidents.

Overall, the number of registered vehicles still active in the country is approximately 24 million, as revealed by Transport Minister Anthony Loke last year.

Cars accounted for the highest number at 17,244,978 units, followed by motorcycles (16,773,112), goods vehicles (1,429,403), taxis (84,745) and buses (64,021).

Additionally, the 2023 Malaysian Transport Statistics released by the Transport Ministry revealed 399,423 lorries of Class ‘A’ and ‘C’ categories.

Examples of these heavy vehicles include tankers, crane lorries, logging lorries, cement lorries, vehicle transporters and container trailers.