Hardly one week after publishing an article entitled, “Red Means Stop”,
a jointly co-sponsored safety campaign by the Sun newspaper and the Road Transport Department, 3 friends died when the car in which they were traveling, rammed into a lorry at a traffic light junction, in Jalan Haji Sirat, near Klang Utama housing estate just recently.
First of all, why did I take the trouble to highlight the Red Means Stop campaign mentioned above?
Because I feel that ignoring traffic lights, especially when it is Red, is not only a violation of the Road Transport Act (R.T.O.) 1987, such action by irresponsible drivers, especially those driving commercial vehicles who possesses Good Drivers’ Licenses (G.D.L.) is something that cannot be forgiven.
Although, under the R.T.O. 1987, commercial drivers who flout this important clause violates Circular 17 and 18 TS (LN 167/59) or Surat Pekeliling, the courts under Section 119 (2) imposes a RM300 fine.
In the Jalan Haji Sirat case mentioned above, the accident which was said to have taken place at 10 am, Tan Ming Sing, 20 of Teluk Pulai, Loh Jas Son and Yap Wei Ken, both 19, from Kuala Kubu Bahru, Selangor, died at the scene due to serious head and body injuries caused by the high impact.
Two other friends, who were also in the car at the time of accident were also injured.
In the above traffic incident, which of the two vehicles really beat the traffic light, we will never know. Only God knows.
Whatever it is, 3 innocent young lives were snuffed out within minutes. The driver of the commercial vehicle, a lorry and whose driver, must most certainly possess a G.D.L, if he really had beaten the traffic light that fateful morning, would definitely have been charged with driving dangerously and causing death.
Under Section 41 of the R.T.O. 1987, for your information, the courts will provide for the below mentioned punishment:
i) Mandatory jail sentence from 2 – 10 years.
ii) A fine of RM500 – RM2000.
iii) License to be suspended beginning from date of court case until the court decided on prison sentence.
All the above sentences are provided for by Section 41 of the R.T.O. 1987.
Of late, I have been tutoring a female student who happens to be staying around the vicinity where the accident took place. The above accident took place at a busy traffic light junction heading towards Klang Utama housing estate. As a matter of fact, I happen to cross this junction rather frequently daily.
My female student, a Miss Khu, who just finished her S.P.M. exam recently, told me two unusual stories related to this incident.
The 3 friends who died were said to be going to work after having taken a hearty breakfast. Another story being circulated was that the friends were staying in a rented house in Klang Utama.
Stories say the three had without fail, reminded Indonesian maids, working for them at their rented premises, not to forget locking up their house gates each time they left for work every morning.
It was said on the morning on which the accident took place, the trio failed to remind their Indonesian maids to lock up the house gates. It might appear to be strange, but such things do happen.
There is yet another peculiar thing that I heard regarding the incident which took place. Near the junction where the accident happened, there is a rather big mechanic’s shop. In fact, it was right at the spot of the said traffic light junction, barely 20 yards away. Its main entrance in fact faced the traffic light junction.
The strange thing was that, the above mechanic enterprise had C.C.T.V cameras to monitor workers and clients entering its premise. This I presume was for its own security purposes.
Coincidentally, if you could call it that, the C.C.T.V. cameras were functioning and “on” the morning the traffic accident took place.
If you have been reading and following many of my articles, especially on A.E.S. facilities, you should then be in a better position to understand this concept of cameras surveillance.
A.E.S. or Automated Enforcement Surveillance is scheduled to be implemented throughout the whole country very soon, that is September 2010.
When friends and family members heard about the queer coincidence of the above mechanic enterprise having a full recording of how the traffic accident took place, they quickly rushed there to speak to the proprietor of the shop.
Stories say, the C.C.T.V. recording recorded everything that happened. Who in reality beat the traffic light that morning? Was it the car in which 3 friends was traveling the one that beat the traffic light? Or was it the driver of the lorry that in reality beat the traffic light that fateful morning? The proof is all there for one and all to see, in the C.C.T.V tape.
In life, strange things do happen. This appears to be one of the strangest things that I have even come across. Whether you believe what I’m relating to you or not is entirely up to you. You make the decision…
To all drivers approaching a traffic light, do remember what this article has been telling you about. Obey the traffic lights.
As the campaign jointly organized by the Sun newspaper and the Road Transport Department recently implored us, “Red Means Stop”. It could mean a matter of life or death.
And very recently, the Minister of Transport, Datuk Ong Tee Kiat, in another statement just announced his department is currently in the process of roping the NGOs, religious bodies, churches and in fact anyone at all who is willing to co-operate with it to combat the problem of drivers who are reluctant to obey the traffic lights. Catastrophic results can take place, even death.
So, the authorities all out effort are indeed applauded. Syabas, to Datuk Ong and his Road Transport Department officers!
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