Cars which belong to the driving schools or institutes undergo a 6 months compulsory inspection by the PUSPAKOM authorities. New cars, less than a year or two old, are inspected once a year.

The Road Transport Authorities has not conducted a “spot check” on most driving institutes, although they began operations some 10 years ago. On 27th of July 2010, the institute to which I am currently attached, was scheduled to undergo a “pemantauan” or spot check by the authorities.

All driving instructors and their vehicles were requested by the management to report to the institute by 8.00 a.m. the morning of 27th July, 2010. Amongst other things, V.E.s or “vehicle experts” from the state department were at our premises to conduct the “spot checks” above.

In this article, I will list down many of the things, most cars were reported to have contravened. Although no summons were issued, the above vehicles were cited for various offences. Out of a total of nearly 70 – 80 vehicles the institute owned, 36 of them were cited for various offences. Those offences will have been repaired. The vehicles will then have to be sent for another inspection by the J.P.J.

Would you believe that all of the institute’s new vehicles made up of Kancils, were pulled up for some faults or other in this exercise conducted recently?

A total of nearly 12 -15 of our vehicles were involved. It may sound surprising, but it is true. Before talking about other vehicles of the institute, which were similarly pulled up for offences, let us first talk about cars of the institute itself. The the above cars were used during “test days” for the Part III (Road Test) of the practical test which a candidate has to undergo.

The institute, due to wrong advices given to the management, had decided to remove the Kancil’s rear screen wipers. All the Kancils were without such wipers when they were inspected. According to the authorities, all commercial vehicles used by institutes for conducting business, must be completely equipped.

The above vehicles were cited as being incomplete. Our vehicles will be given 2 weeks to have the wipers fixed. The vehicles will have to be sent in for a special inspection by the J.P.J. authorities later.

Below, I will list 6 items which of my colleagues faced in the recent “pemantuan” exercise.

1. Excessive steering free play.

Excessive free play of the steering is dangerous. Students especially, will find it difficult to control the steering well. Instructors should see to it, that steering free play more than half an inch either way, should be rectified immediately.

2. Horns which are too weak or non-audible.

Car horns should be loud and clear when applied. Horns are an important item of a car. Most Kancil cars do not seem to have horns which are very audible. They are infact not loud enough when applied. A car, whose horns are not loud enough, will not please the vehicle experts who are testing the car. You will be cited for possessing weak horns during an examination.

3. Air con unit not cool enough.

Malaysia is reputed to possess very hot temperatures. In today’s condition, to be learning in a non air-con car is indeed unbearable. Instructors should see to it that the air con condition of the car, which is used to tutor a student in driving, should have a good air conditioning unit. This will provide the student a conductive learning atmosphere.

4. Signages of driving school/institute not following requirements.

Some instructors do not seem to adhere to the departments’ rules and regulations. Some make these signages of their own, when their old signages become worn out. They should in fact get new signages from the establishment. Sometimes, it has been found that even L plates differ from the standard Ls approved by the authorities.

5. Poor brakes found in many institute’s vehicle.

Many units of our institute’s vehicles, when tested, were found to have braking systems which are not satisfactory. Vehicles with poor brakes, were immediately summoned. Owners of such vehicles will have to get their brakes repaired before it is sent to the authorities for the next inspection.

6. Paintwork or body work of vehicles not in satisfactory condition.

Some vehicles have dented body work and broken fenders, signals and lamps. After some time, the paintwork of the vehicles have faded. Such vehicles need a new coat of paint. Conditions of such cars need to be repaired before it is brought in to the authorities for another round of inspection. The inspection was scheduled for the 10th of August, 2010.

The above are 6 things the authorities found “wrong” with our institute’s cars in the spot check exercise conducted way back in 27th of July 2010. On the whole, the authorities should conduct more of such tests. They are good for the welfare of the institutes.

They say “no news is good news”. For more than 3 to 4 months now, the national newspapers in Malaysia, The New Straits Times, The Star, the Berita Harian, Nanyang Siang Pau and others, had not reported about any bus crashes. And then, the public were shocked when two tragic bus crashes were reported, one after the other.

In Behrang, Perak, 4 people lost their lives when the express bus they were travelling in, skidded and keeled over along the North – South Expressway on Friday night, 11.11.11. Students from Air Merah Secondary School, Khairul Anwar Azhan and Maysarra Zaidi both 15, and their teacher Siti Hajar Mohamed 33, were in a bus that overturned. The three were attempting to rescue their friends, who were trapped in the bus, when a sand laden trailer ploughed into their bus. The gruesome incident took place at the 382nd kilometer, a 100m from the rest area at about 4.20 a.m.

It was reported that the above bus was carrying 36 students and 3 teachers. The driver of the bus lost control of the vehicle when one of its front tyres burst. The bus then overturned. While attempts were being made to get the students and teachers out, a trailer reportedly hit the stationary bus from behind.

A few days prior to this incident at Behrang, 25 people were reportedly injured in a highway crash, in an accident which took place at the KM19 along the Ayer Hitam–Johore Baru stretch, minutes after it had crossed the Kulai toll plaza. A passenger, S. Parvathy 26, who sustained head injuries, said the bus driver was then speeding.

According to Johore Baru (North) deputy O.C.P.D., Supt. Mohd Akhir Ishak, said police were now in the process of questioning the 45 year old bus driver. The accident is being investigated under “reckless driving”, which comes under section 43 of the Road Transport Act 1987.

Hardly one day had passed by, when another express bus, which was then transporting workers from the Hospital Sultanah Aminah near Johore Baru, overturned. The impact of the accident was so bad that the bus split into two. In this accident, it was learnt that the bus driver was also speeding. This had caused him to lose control of the vehicle.

Commenting on the recent spate of accident involving bus expresses, the Land Public Transport Authority (SPAD) has urged passengers to report directly to them if the drivers of buses they are travelling in speed or driver recklessly. SPAD it is said, has a special team stationed in Putrajaya, who will immediately contact bus operators when a report of speeding is made by a passenger.

All that is needed is the bus registration number, what time and where the incident took place. And immediate action will be taken!

Commenting on the two recent bus express accidents, SPAD Chief Operating Officer Encik Azhar Ahmad, gave a stern warning to bus operators to ensure that the safety of passenger is given top priority. Otherwise, he warned they stand to lose their licenses.

Regarding the 3 latest bus express incidents which took place just last week, one, the Behrang case which took place along the North – West expressway, two, the incident which took place at the Ayer Itam Johore Baru Road and finally the accident which took place near Johore Baru where the bus overturned, let us now study in greater detail how the above 3 crashes took place.

In one of the incidents, the driver was reported to have lost control of his vehicle, when his front tyre burst. In the other 2 incidences, passengers complained that the drivers of the bus express, buses were in fact speeding or travelling at dangerous speeds.

As such, high speeds seem to be the main cause of express buses going out of control. To prevent such future incidences from happening, I would like to make a few suggestions. It is uncertain if they will be even be considered at all. Nonetheless, no harm attempting, I believe.

My Humble Suggestion

The suggestion I would like to put forward are as follows:-

i) In Turkey, all tour and express bus move only during the daylight hours. They stop after 8.00pm. The authorities there believe, buses travelling at night represent “danger”.

Can the authorities here in Malaysia consider this suggestion seriously? I would like to make a serious suggestion whereby all tour buses should stop travelling by midnight, which means all express buses should reach their destinations on the stroke of midnight.

The Land Public Transport Commission or SPAD, people should look into this recommendation seriously in order to prevent accidents from happening.

ii) As speeding by bus drivers seems to be the main culprit for causing most of the accidents, would it be possible to control the speed of the tour or express buses to a maximum speed of 50 or 60 km/h? As they say speed kills!

Well, what about it? Will the public accept a 10 hour journey from Kuala Lumpur to Penang beginning from 10.00 am and finally reaching Penang Island at 10.00 pm? Bearing in mind that 2 rest stops along the way, each ½ hour stops will have to be made in the interest of passengers and bus drivers.

As they say, travelling by bus may eventually be slower and may take a longer time if my suggestion is to be implemented. But it will definitely be safer. I’m sure there will be less accidents taking place.

Those who cannot accept the fact that going back to Penang will take 10 to 12 hours should then opt for an alternative transport. I will only be putting forward 2 suggestions this time around. It is believed that it would be pointless to give more suggestions if the authorities are disinterested in giving these suggestions its proper accord.

Give the above two suggestions some thoughts first. Implement them and see what the results are. Then, other suggestions can then be put forward. Training for drivers, buses being constructed well and ensuring that bus drivers refraining from usage of drugs and so on, can be attended to at a later stage. As Confucius said, “the journey to a thousand miles begin with the first step”.

Amongst mechanics, there seems to be two schools of thoughts regarding gear oil. While some recommend that you change gear oil at regular intervals, others do not bother too much about it at all. Whatever it is, gear oil is definitely the most neglected item of a car.

What in reality, is gear oil? Gear oil is motor oil that’s made specially for the transmission or the differentials in an automobile. According to my mechanic friend, Raman, unlike engine oil, “gear” oil is numbered 90W to 140W. This means gear oil, has a high viscosity. Its “thickness” is necessary to provide maximum protection which is so essential for moving parts of the gear boxes.

Gear oil is very similar to motor oil or, if you like engine oil, which is used for engine lubrication. Gear oil, on the other hand, possess many different properties. This is to meet many different demands that are placed on it.

Unlike engine oil, gear oil takes a great of deal heat, without breaking down. Its duty is to lubricate other parts in an engine. However, gear oil does not reach the temperatures of an engine oil.

Gear oil, is associated with parts that move somewhat slower. Nevertheless, it is reported to get heated up significantly as the vehicle is driven. In gear boxes or differentials, pressures in interlocking metals are said to be more extreme. Because of this, gear boxes require the assistance of gear oil.

What does gear oil contain? It contains sulphur. Sulphur forms a protection coating on all metal parts it touches. This will prevent direct metal to metal contact. Without the coating provided by gear oil, extreme pressures which takes place in the gear box, the parts inside would heat up to a temperature that is considered as hazardous to the operating capability of vehicles and parts will eventually wear out.

Gear oil in passenger vehicles, it is not something that is frequently replaced by motorists, unlike engine oil. For those of you riding motorcycles, it is recommended that you change your gear oil every 3,800 miles or 6,000 km. Do remember, that a motorcycle gear will deplete as time goes by. It then loses its ability to protect the clutch as well as the gear systems of a machine.

How does one go about changing the gear oil of a vehicle?

The same applies as to changing the engine oil. For cars, simply drain oil from the differential, then replace the drain plug, pour in the required amount, which is anything from 3.5 litres to 4 litres, and then replace the oil lid.

In the case of motorcycles, replace with oil that is specially intended for motors and scooters duly. For readers’ information, I use a very popular gear box oil currently available in Malaysia. It is American made. Among the properties of the above oil are:

1. it is suitable for all manual transmission.

2. Quietens noisy operation of gear boxes.

3. Restores smooth shifting of gears.

4. Improved performance is guaranteed.

Finally, it should also be made known that the above gear oil, used by the writer is the only lubricant company in the world ever to be inducted into the Space Foundation Hall of Fame!

Well then, what are you waiting for? Go for it! And in doing so, I hope you’ll enjoy easy and smooth changing of gears.