What's With All These Accidents Involving Lorries? Salah Siapa?

Another day, another accident involving lorries. Yesterday's sardine-filled mess after the Menora Tunnel caused a sea of tomato fishy goodness to spill all over the highway.

Traffic was jammed macam tin sardin into a halt for three kilometres when the incident happened at noon on the North-South Expressway (southbound). PLUS Malaysia dealt with the catastrophe by diverting road users to the Kuala Kangsar exit as well as opening up a contraflow lane to help ease the congestion.

*Image credit: Utusan

Who's fault was it?

Clearing up a road accident is one thing, but one that involved hundreds of burst sardine cans filled to the brim with tomato sauce made for an oily mess. The incident is currently being investigated as we speak.

This, sadly, is just one of many accidents involving lorries that have been happening on a regular basis. More and more viral stories, photos, and videos have popped up and it's a worrying truth. Are the authorities doing anything about this?

*Image credit: Bernama

Driver, lorry, or road? Salah siapa?

More often than not, the causes of these accidents involving heavy vehicles always come back to the state of mind of the person operating the vehicle or the condition of the heavy vehicle itself.

There have been cases where the drivers were caught under the influence of drugs, while others were simply not concentrating enough while on the road or pushed beyond their physical limits just to make a decent living for themselves.

Then there's the most annoying aspect of all - the roadworthiness of these heavy vehicles. How many times have we seen or heard about runaway lorries plowing through traffic after having lost control of the brakes?

All of these incidents caused massive amounts of damage and even death. It seems that all the rules imposed by the authorities should be enough to deter these things from happening on a regular basis, so is it the question of enforcement?

The same question can be raised about illegal street racing. That, however, is just the tip of the iceberg, and they can only do so much.

As for road conditions, it's a hit and miss depending on where you are at the moment in question. Most roads are decent enough to drive on, but stretches like the Menora Tunnel for example can get quite slippery and dangerous, especially with all the unexpected rain we've been getting in the past few weeks.

Combine that with road users that are not paying attention, reckless driving, and operating vehicles without proper maintenance, and that's just the 'perfect storm' for an accident just waiting to happen. For the longest time, it's been a question of 'when' rather than 'if'.

And the frequency is indeed climbing. Suami masak apa hari ini? Not sardines, nope. Not for some folks, because of 'lori buat hal apa hari ini'.

*Image credit: FB user

What can be done?

Experts from different governing bodies, authorities, and those who constantly voice out regarding road safety have been trying their level best to ensure that these accidents don't happen on Malaysian roads.

From heavy fines to jail time, nothing seems to be slowing down these incidents from taking place despite their best efforts. Enforcement can only do so much, but at the end of the day, road safety falls onto all of us - the road users.

We personally have to make sure that all of our vehicles are operating in their optimum conditions, and companies that use heavy machinery should do the same. With that being said, you'll still hear stories of how they're able to go around the law with tricks up their sleeves. All for that extra bit of profit in their pockets, even if it means risking the lives of others.

Love yourself, be mindful of others, and don't skimp on safety.