Transport Ministry presents proposals to improve security force vehicle safety features following fatal FRU truck accident that killed nine personnel.
PUTRAJAYA: Proposals to enhance safety features for security force vehicles have been presented to the Cabinet following May’s fatal Federal Reserve Unit truck accident.
Transport Minister Anthony Loke confirmed the recommendations were submitted last week after inter-ministerial collaboration.
“We collaborated with the Ministry of Defence and Home Ministry to review implementation of these proposals,” he told reporters after his ministry’s monthly assembly and Deepavali celebration.
Loke emphasized that while his ministry provides reports and suggestions, implementation responsibility lies with the security ministries.
“The ones who have to take action are the ministries involved, namely Home Ministry and also Defence Ministry,” he stated.
The minister acknowledged practical challenges in implementing the safety upgrades across existing fleets.
“There are definitely challenges, and we also need time to implement them because they require various retrofitting measures, maybe even new vehicles,” Loke explained.
Nine FRU personnel died while nine others were injured in the May 13 tragedy when their truck collided with an overloaded tipper lorry in Teluk Intan, Perak.
A special task force investigation identified excessive vehicle weight as the primary cause of the fatal crash.
“The main cause was due to the lorry exceeding 70% of its permissible laden weight,” according to the official report.
The Transport Ministry had previously revealed 16 safety recommendations covering six key areas.
These include enhanced compliance with road transport safety codes and legislative improvements to the Land Public Transport Act 2010.
The proposals also feature upgraded safety features in government vehicles, including mandatory seat belt installation for all seating positions. – Bernama
