The fiery tragedy involving a tourist bus that crashed and burst into flames on the North–South Expressway is a horrifying and terrifying accident that claimed 8 lives.
Reading the details of the report and looking at the pictures of the 8 persons killed in the nasty crash is heart wrenching.
It was supposed to be a fun 1-day trip to Genting Highlands for the mostly senior citizens but it turned awry when the bus travelling at a high speed on the fast lane swerved suddenly on seeing a rubber tyre on the road and crashed into a car and burst into flames on the highway at 1am.
There have been quite a number of accidents that have taken place in the wee hours of the morning involving cars and express buses.
Poor visibility and speed night driving have been the major causes of the tragic accidents on our roads and this calls for greater surveillance and enforcement during nocturnal hours. It also calls for greater safety precautions to be observed by motorists and drivers when driving at night.
One of the main rules of avoiding accidents when driving is being able to stop your vehicle within a distance that you can see.
At night when vision is greatly minimized and when there are no street lights you should be travelling at a speed where you can stop within the distance illuminated by your headlights. You can see further with your high beam but it may dazzle the driver driving towards you and cause an accident.
Therefore, it is advisable to dip your head lights when there are vehicles in front. Once you dip your lights you should also alter your speed accordingly. A driver behind who is on high beam can also cause a driver to be blinded and cause an accident.
Those with eyesight problems should avoid driving at night because it becomes even worse when driving at night. Driving at night puts more strain and tire your eyes easily.
Stalled heavy vehicles parked on the emergency lane without adequate warning lights at night pose serious danger to motorists. The stalled vehicles should be towed away immediately. Heavy vehicles on the road with poorly lit rear lights can also pose problems for night drivers. Heavy vehicles should be fitted with visible rotating lights for night travelling.
Even observing all these safety night driving rules will not prevent accidents, unless drivers learn to drive their vehicles within the speed illuminated by their head lights. However, many drivers drive at high speed at night though they cannot see the road ahead clearly. They speed and that is why when in an emergency they crash into the divider or vehicles in front.
Driving at high speeds in the rain at night is also another recipe for accidents. Vision is greatly reduced and drivers have to drive with extra caution.
Speed kills anytime of the day. So remember, one of the main rules of staying alive is being able to stop within a distance that you can see. Limit your speed at night.
Samuel Yesuiah,
Seremban, Negri Sembilan.