A tyre laid bare our utter incompetencies
By YS Chan
THE road accident at the North-South Expressway near Ayer Keroh last Dec 23 involved a tour bus, two lorries, a car and an MPV with a family of eight.
Tragically, seven people died, including five in the MPV, the bus driver and a passenger, with 33 people were injured.
It was reported that the tour bus hit a tyre dislodged from a lorry, veered into the opposite lane, collided with the car and crashed into the MPV and Nissan trailer.
On Dec 24, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook ordered the road transport department (JPJ) to investigate the deadly accident.
On Jan 2, it was reported that Puspakom had submitted its findings to the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) but the report only covered its inspection of the lorry and not the detached tyre because it was not handed to Puspakom for inspection.
There was no mention of whether Puspakom had requested it or the custodian refused to release it for inspection.
I have pointed out that it was not a tyre but an entire wheel with a steel rim, air valve and fully inflated tyre, which is solid-hard, whereas a tyre by itself is pliant and collapsible.
THE road accident at the North-South Expressway near Ayer Keroh last Dec 23 involved a tour bus, two lorries, a car and an MPV with a family of eight.
Tragically, seven people died, including five in the MPV, the bus driver and a passenger, with 33 people were injured.
It was reported that the tour bus hit a tyre dislodged from a lorry, veered into the opposite lane, collided with the car and crashed into the MPV and Nissan trailer.
On Dec 24, Transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew Fook ordered the road transport department (JPJ) to investigate the deadly accident.
On Jan 2, it was reported that Puspakom had submitted its findings to the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) but the report only covered its inspection of the lorry and not the detached tyre because it was not handed to Puspakom for inspection.
There was no mention of whether Puspakom had requested it or the custodian refused to release it for inspection.
I have pointed out that it was not a tyre but an entire wheel with a steel rim, air valve and fully inflated tyre, which is solid-hard, whereas a tyre by itself is pliant and collapsible.
(Image: TikTok/wan_5185)
It was reported that Puspakom suspected that the Foton lorry lost its tyre due to damage to the end of the stub axle, which broke off the front axle.
It is common knowledge that a tyre is fitted to a rim, inflated with air and becomes a functional wheel to be attached to the stub axle.
So, the missing jigsaw puzzle is a complete wheel and not a tyre, which does not detach itself from the rim. If there was a blowout, the tyre would be broken and whatever remains of it would not cause the tour bus to go out of control.
Interestingly, the Foton lorry is relatively new. It was manufactured in 2023, sold in 2024 and underwent its initial inspection at Puspakom on March 28. Its first routine inspection is due a year later on March 28, 2025.
It will be intriguing to know what the cause of damage to the sub-axle was. Did the kingpin break off or was it due to overloading? I am waiting with bated breath for the final report to be made known.
Hopefully, the findings will not be as superficial as attributing the cause of the accident to a dislodged tyre on the road, and there will be recommendations to prevent or reduce such horrific accidents from recurring.
The release date of the final report will serve as a good indicator of the efficiency and competency of the many government agencies involved in road transport, safety and accidents in our country. – Jan 3, 2025
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.
It is common knowledge that a tyre is fitted to a rim, inflated with air and becomes a functional wheel to be attached to the stub axle.
So, the missing jigsaw puzzle is a complete wheel and not a tyre, which does not detach itself from the rim. If there was a blowout, the tyre would be broken and whatever remains of it would not cause the tour bus to go out of control.
Interestingly, the Foton lorry is relatively new. It was manufactured in 2023, sold in 2024 and underwent its initial inspection at Puspakom on March 28. Its first routine inspection is due a year later on March 28, 2025.
It will be intriguing to know what the cause of damage to the sub-axle was. Did the kingpin break off or was it due to overloading? I am waiting with bated breath for the final report to be made known.
Hopefully, the findings will not be as superficial as attributing the cause of the accident to a dislodged tyre on the road, and there will be recommendations to prevent or reduce such horrific accidents from recurring.
The release date of the final report will serve as a good indicator of the efficiency and competency of the many government agencies involved in road transport, safety and accidents in our country. – Jan 3, 2025
YS Chan is master trainer for Mesra Malaysia and Travel and Tours Enhancement Course and an Asean Tourism Master Trainer. He is also a tourism and transport business consultant.
