Express bus drivers who simply don't care

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The following is an article I wrote to the STAR Newspapers - I had a terrible experience with an Express Bus driver while driving back from Johore Baru. He was driving at a crazy speed and the article below describes what happened. Let us speak up against such irresponsibility. Read on.....

EXPRESS BUS DRIVERS WHO SIMPLY DON’T CARE

After reading about the terrible accident at the North-South expressway near Tangkak where 10 senseless lives were lost, I just felt that I have to report about my encounter with an Express bus which occurred at around the same spot where the accident happened.

On Friday, 5 December, at around 8-30 pm, I was driving back from Johore Baru to Kuala Lumpur when a Transnational Express bus came charging up behind me. My speedometer read 116 km as I was on Auto cruise. The Bus plate no was WPM 6706. He overtook me and went speeding down the highway. I couldn’t believe he was going that fast. I decided to follow it and my speed went up to 130 kph and still I trailed it. He must have been going at his maximum. In the dark, it was a frightening scene watching him weave in and out of traffic on an overtaking spree. I felt duty-bound to follow the bus to try and sight its Vehicle registration no and I had to put on my headlights to do it. Obviously he noticed that I was tailing him for some time. He slowed down to let me pass and that was when the terrifying ordeal started.

As soon as I passed, he came charging right up to me as if to crash into me. He was very near me and he keep that pressure on when there were several cars ahead of me. I had no choice but to take a quick slowdown into the side lane so that he could pass me. When I again went to the outer lane, he slowed down to let me pass and the same thing was repeated. To avoid his staying behind me to intimidate me in this manner, I drove up to 130 kph and he stayed right behind me. As there was quite a bit of traffic, I could not pass all the cars. That was when he drove right up to my bumper on several occasions. If I had slowed a bit more, he would have hit me and who knows what would have happened!

I realized he was playing a dangerous game with me, angry perhaps because I had tailed him to see his speeding antics. I desperately had to find some gaps to escape his crazy manoeuvres. Eventually I managed to speed away only to have him speed up as well. When I had enough open room, I managed to put distance between him and me.

I can’t imagine what I had seen. The irresponsibility of the driver on that night was a brief insight into what could happen with such a crazy driver at the wheel of a huge bus. Then I read about the accident on the 8 December STAR just around the same area of Tangkak and I was stunned by what I read. I could have witnessed a similar accident with equally devastating consequences that night. I just know that I had to write to the STAR to describe what I had experienced.

My heart goes out to the families and next-of-kin of the victims. I grieve along with them. If Express buses travelled responsibly within their limits, I am sure accidents even when they happen, will not result in such far-reaching consequences. I hold the view now that Express bus drivers who speed and who have track records of such impulsive driving should be blacklisted and not be allowed to drive buses again. When will we learn that no corrective measure afterwards can bring back the lives of the victims lost. The Express Bus companies should mean business and the Government should mean business too. Hold the Express Bus companies responsible who wilfully allow errant Bus drivers to continue driving for them. Suspend them if they are found to have been irresponsible. Anything less will be a travesty of justice and the Government and those who own such companies will bear the stain of such blood on their hands if they continue to turn a blind eye to this.

I will gladly come forth and give testimony against the Transnasional Bus driver of Vehicle WPM 6706 for speeding that night. It was not only speeding but it was speeding at its most dangerous. Will the Owners of Transnasional act now or will it take a tragedy involving that driver to make it take action. I pray that wisdom will prevail over expediency.