Transport Minister Anthony Loke has come under fire on social media following a string of road accidents involving heavy vehicles over the first 10 months of the year.

Much of the criticism revolves around his ministry's apparent focus on matters such as the sale of special licence plate numbers over efforts to prevent accidents involving lorries and buses, which have claimed a number of lives this year.

Internet users are also calling for stricter enforcement of the law, more control over issues like tyre quality, and the monitoring of operating hours for drivers.

"825 accidents involving lorries within the space of 10 months. Minister: Okay, let's upgrade licence plate numbers," said X user Ian.

This statistic, taken from Bukit Aman's Traffic Investigation and Enforcement Department, means that an average of three lorries are involved in accidents each day, causing 5,364 deaths, compared to 6,024 throughout the whole of last year.

Some social media users also urged Loke to restore the Land Public Transport Commission or SPAD, which was dissolved by the Pakatan Harapan government in 2018. Loke was also the transport minister at the time.

SPAD was replaced with a new agency under Loke's ministry: the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD).

Those calling for a return of SPAD said it would help with enforcement and the technical monitoring of commercial vehicles, which frequently fail to comply with road safety requirements.

"Bring back SPAD," Kamal Anas said on Facebook. "Do we have to wait for the child of a VIP to die in a lorry accident before the minister pays attention?"

Kamal was commenting on a fatal accident which took place on the PLUS Highway last week involving a lorry, a trailer, an express bus, an MPV, and a car. Seven lives were lost.

The accident was attributed to a tyre from the lorry which came loose in the middle of the road.

Automotive commentator Hezeri Samsuri said efforts to resolve issues involving heavy vehicles had stalled due to a lack of staff at both APAD and the Road Transport Department (JPJ).

He said APAD also lacked its own enforcement personnel, forcing it to depend on JPJ. 

SPAD, on the other hand, not only had its own enforcement personnel but also operated independent of ministries and had the power to prosecute offenders.

"Even if the minister doesn't want to reinstate SPAD, he has to make sure that APAD is given more power and that there is stricter enforcement," Hezeri told MalaysiaNow.

Road safety expert Law Teik Hua agreed, saying an independent body should be established to tackle the rise in fatal road accidents.

He cited the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US which is tasked with planning road safety policies, working directly with policymakers, automotive companies, and security agencies.

"With more coordinated and strategic measures, we can reduce the number of accidents and make the roads a safer place for everyone," Law, the director of Universiti Putra Malaysia's Road Safety Research Centre, said. 

https://www.malaysianow.com/news/2024/12/31/loke-under-scrutiny-after-spate-of-lorry-accidents