Latest news with #heavyVehicles
South China Morning Post
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- South China Morning Post
Student tragedy spurs Malaysia to get tough on speeding lorries and buses: ‘important step'
Advertisement Malaysia's roads are among some of the world's most dangerous, with one person dying every two hours according to government statistics between March 2024 and March 2025. Lorries and buses routinely flout the speed limit of 90km/h, and high-speed collisions are common on the country's highways. On Friday, Transport Minister Anthony Loke announced that the government will mandate all heavy vehicles to be equipped with 'Speed Limitation Devices' in their engines, which will cap the vehicles' speed at a maximum of 90km/h. Malaysia's Transport Minister, Anthony Locke, announced that the government will require all heavy vehicles to be equipped with speed limitation devices. Photo: Handout Calling the move, which will be enforced from October 1, 'an important step', he said the safety feature will reduce 'the risk of road accidents involving lives and property.' Advertisement The requirement will apply to tour buses, express buses, and all vehicles transporting more than eight passengers, as well as commercial vehicles exceeding 3,500kg. The device must be installed, verified, and recertified at government-certified inspection centres every two years, as well as each time they renew their vehicle permit, all at the owners' expense.
Malay Mail
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
After fatal Gerik bus crash, Transport Ministry targets tampered speed limiters, seatbelt compliance
GEORGE TOWN, June 10 — Following yesterday's bus accident that killed 15 students, the Transport Ministry is considering stricter enforcement measures for heavy vehicles to improve road safety compliance. Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook said there are challenges in ensuring compliance by companies operating heavy vehicles including lorries and buses. He said the ministry is now looking at using technology such as speed limiters and on-board video cameras to be installed on heavy vehicles as safety measures along with making seat belts mandatory for express buses. Loke noted that while speed limiters are currently installed in heavy vehicles, they are frequently tampered with, rendering them ineffective for speed control. 'The device is installed in heavy vehicles to prevent them from speeding above the speed limit but what we are seeing is that, the devices are often tampered with,' he told reporters during a press conference after officiating CruiseWorld Malaysia 2025 here today. He revealed that these heavy vehicles install speed limiters to pass Puspakom checks, only to tamper with them immediately afterward so they can exceed speed limits. The minister emphasised the need to prevent tampering with these devices through stricter regulations and enforcement measures. Loke explained that while the ministry already mandates speed limiters in heavy vehicles through existing frameworks, additional safeguards are necessary to ensure compliance post-installation. Stronger enforcement mechanisms, he added, would be crucial to maintaining the integrity of these safety devices. As for the possibility of installing on-board video cameras on heavy vehicles, he said it is another matter that the ministry is looking into. 'Video cameras are not compulsory now but we need to look into it to improve safety,' he said. He added that it is now mandatory for new buses built from 2020 onwards to have seatbelts for all passengers. 'However, in the East-West Highway incident, the bus was built in 2013, it is 12 years old, so it does not have seatbelts,' he said. Although seatbelts are mandatory in new buses, Loke noted that ensuring passenger compliance remains a challenge. 'We have laws that make it mandatory to install and wear seatbelts but the challenge is to ensure compliance,' he said. Loke said they will also look into ensuring compliance with wearing seatbelts by installing sensors, similar to those in cars. 'In cars, if we don't wear the seatbelts, it will beep so we can look into making it mandatory that the driver ensures all passengers put their seatbelts on or the bus will not move,' he said. The minister stressed that the main problems regarding speed limiters and seatbelts were driver and passenger compliance. 'Our challenge is to ensure compliance, it is not that we do not have laws, we have laws but the challenge is to ensure the laws are complied with,' he said. He said when a new regulation is implemented, making some measures mandatory, some parties will complain. 'If we are not strict, we are criticised,' he said. He said everyone, including the industry players and the public, must cooperate when it comes to compliance to road safety measures. 'We don't want that when we make something mandatory, the operators complain that they are affected, that the new measures are a burden and incurred additional costs,' he said. He reminded the operators that any safety measures implemented are for the sake of human life. 'So, for example, the wearing of seatbelts in new buses is already mandatory but there was lack of compliance by the operators and passengers,' he said. He said they will need to look at how to ensure this is implemented more effectively.
Malay Mail
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- Malay Mail
Mandatory speed limiters for heavy vehicles in the works, transport minister says after deadly UPSI student bus crash
KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — The government is drafting a policy that includes the mandatory use of speed limiters for heavy vehicles, as part of efforts to enhance road safety. Transport Minister Anthony Loke said the policy is being thoroughly reviewed to ensure there are no loopholes or opportunities for manipulation once implemented. 'The government will not relent in strengthening road safety measures. 'We are committed to protecting road users, especially from the risks posed by reckless drivers and heavy vehicles that fail to meet safety standards,' he said in a Facebook post. His statement comes in the wake of a tragic accident yesterday that claimed the lives of 15 students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI). A chartered bus travelling from Jertih, Terengganu to Tanjung Malim, Perak overturned after colliding with a multi-purpose vehicle (MPV) on the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik. The crash also left 33 others injured, including the bus driver and attendant, as well as the driver and three passengers of the Perodua Alza involved in the incident. — Bernama
CNA
09-05-2025
- CNA
87 summonses in 3-day Traffic Police operation targeting heavy vehicles
The Traffic Police are urging motorists to obey traffic rules, after issuing 87 summonses during a three-day blitz that ended on May 7. The operation focused on heavy vehicles weighing more than 12,000 kilogrammes, with almost 200 inspected. Offences included speeding, using a mobile phone while driving and failing to display a speed limiter label. Offenders could face fines, jail or both. Aslam Shah reports.
