GEORGE TOWN: Concerns over road safety along the East-West Highway will be raised at the Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (June 11), says Transport Minister Anthony Loke.
Although the highway falls under the Works Ministry's jurisdiction, Loke said that road safety is a collective responsibility.
"I will raise this matter in the Cabinet meeting to consider immediate steps to improve safety, particularly along the East-West Highway.
"Road safety is a serious issue that requires cooperation between ministries," he told reporters earlier today.
Loke said the discussion would cover various factors, not just the installation of road barriers.
"We won’t focus solely on road barriers. We will also examine overall road conditions and the lack of street lighting at night. We urgently need to implement drastic and immediate measures to prioritise road safety, especially on the East-West Highway," he said.
He said that the Transport Ministry will assist in installing solar-powered lights along the route to enhance night-time visibility.
Addressing the recent fatal accident in Tasik Banding, Gerik, which claimed the lives of 15 Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI) students, Loke said various authorities, including the Road Transport Department (JPJ), are involved in the investigation.
He added that the Land Public Transport Agency has issued a show-cause letter to the bus company. They have requested data such as the vehicle’s GPS records to determine whether the bus was speeding, and an audit of the company is under way.
In a related development, Minister of Law and Institutional Reform Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said said more effective action was needed against those responsible for major road accidents causing fatalities.
"Perhaps it is time to assess the effectiveness of law enforcement and consider whether to amend the Penal Code or introduce a new act, similar to what is practised in the United Kingdom," she said.
Azalin referred to the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007, which is a law in the UK.
"This act allows a company to be prosecuted for serious failures in managing the safety of its workers or the public, and for negligence that results in death," Azalina said in a Facebook post today.
She explained the act was established in the UK in response to workplace deaths where no corporate entity could be held criminally accountable under the law.
This is especially relevant for companies providing transportation services, as it involves human lives that are priceless," she added.
