Gerik bus crash: Education group calls for formulation, implementation of national road safety action plan

The Malaysian Academic Movement (Gerak) has called for an immediate and concerted effort between government agencies, the private sector, and civil society to formulate and implement a National Road Safety Action Plan, modelled after Australia’s Safe System approach, following the Gerik bus crash tragedy that claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students.

This follows an earlier statement by the Malaysian Academic Association Congress (MAAC), which today urged the establishment of a comprehensive national action plan on road safety.

Gerak said the UPSI tragedy must mark a turning point for fundamental change to ensure Malaysian roads are safe for all. The group urged the government to act with urgency to raise national road safety standards.

“Fatal and serious injury accidents are not merely a matter of fate but often stem from systemic failures that demand holistic solutions,” Gerak’s executive committee said in a statement.

“One such failure is corruption. The government can no longer afford to remain reactive. The time has come to shift to a proactive approach that has proven effective globally.”

Gerak pointed to developed nations such as Australia, which have significantly reduced road fatalities through the Safe System approach.

The philosophy underpinning the Safe System approach is that roads must be designed to protect users even when human error occurs. Its core principle is that safety is not solely the responsibility of road users, but a shared duty involving road designers, engineers, vehicle manufacturers, and enforcement agencies.

The Safe System approach is built upon four main pillars:

Recent statistics show that in Malaysia, one life is lost in a road accident every 1 hour 56 minutes. A road accident occurs every 50 seconds. Among Southeast Asian nations, Malaysia ranks second in road fatality rates, with 23.7 deaths per 100,000 people, behind only Thailand.

Gerak noted that in December, the Cabinet Committee on Road Safety and Traffic Congestion approved an allocation of RM463 million to enhance public transport. The group proposed that a significant portion of this allocation be directed to road safety initiatives.

“Policymakers must realise that these millions are not meant only for deliberating congestion charges or upgrading public transport services.

“Government bodies, including the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros) and other relevant agencies, must use existing funds to tackle the growing crisis of road accident fatalities.

“Rising human negligence, road rage, poor rule enforcement, and deteriorating road conditions are key contributing factors.

“The lack of strict vehicle inspections, drug tests for commercial drivers, and enforcement of penalties for speed violations have also fuelled the rise in road deaths.”

Gerak called for a full and transparent investigation into the bus crash that killed the 15 UPSI students.

“The investigation must examine the dangerous highway conditions, the severe vehicle congestion issues, and the lack of enforcement of road safety laws by traffic police and other responsible authorities,” the group said.

It also called for the reintroduction of speed limit black boxes (speed limiters) to electronically restrict heavy vehicles such as lorries and buses to below 90km/h.

“These rules must be strictly enforced, and speed violators must be penalised immediately.”

Yesterday, the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Shah, decreed that preventive measures must be taken in response to the rising number of fatal road accidents. He also emphasised that the recent tragedy should serve as a lesson.

His decree included the need to identify existing weaknesses and implement improvements, particularly in the enforcement of traffic laws and regulations, to prevent future tragedies.

Sultan Nazrin and Raja Permaisuri Tuanku Zara Salim, who is also the Chancellor of UPSI, visited Raja Permaisuri Bainun Hospital in Ipoh yesterday to console the victims’ families. The royal couple was also briefed on the incident by hospital authorities.

Main image by Perak Information Department