HULU SELANGOR, Oct 2 — The Road Transport Department (JPJ) has completed its report on the fatal crash at the Bukit Kajang Toll Plaza which claimed the life of a baby and injured seven others.
JPJ Senior Director of Enforcement Datuk Muhammad Kifli Ma Hassan said inspections and a Road Safety Audit (JISA) on the logistics company operating the lorry involved have also been completed.
“The investigation has been fully completed and an audit was carried out on the company… the report has been submitted to the minister (Transport Minister Anthony Loke) today before he makes an announcement,” he told a press conference at the JPJ Enforcement Station in Kalumpang here yesterday.
The accident last Saturday involved a lorry believed to have experienced brake failure, a car and two sport utility vehicles (SUVs), resulting in the death of a one-year-old boy and injuries to seven individuals.
On Monday, Kajang District Police Chief ACP Naazron Abdul Yusof said police had recorded statements from seven individuals to assist in the investigation and that the investigation papers had also been referred to the Public Prosecutor.
Naazron said action against the lorry driver’s employer is also being reviewed with the relevant agencies, and the lorry involved will be sent for inspection by the Chemistry Department and Puspakom today to determine the cause of the accident.
According to Naazron, the lorry driver who had been remanded to assist investigations was released on police bail yesterday pending the full report and analysis, with the case being investigated under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987.
In a separate development, Muhammad Kifli said summonses totalling RM130 million had been settled by road users since January, involving various offences including those under the Automated Awareness Safety System (AwAS).
Regarding the installation of AwAS cameras at the Menora Tunnel in Perak, he said it has successfully raised awareness among motorists, thereby reducing the rate of road accidents at the location.
“Previously, the area recorded accidents almost every week, but after the installation of AwAS, the number of cases dropped significantly, and for nearly two months no accidents have been recorded, whereas before they occurred almost weekly,” he said.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Kifli said a popular motivational speaker with a large social media following has been detained after being found using a modified vehicle number plate to evade detection by JPJ’s AwAS.
He said the 50-year-old man was found using a genuine registration number on the front of his SUV, but had fitted a nearly identical number plate at the rear, omitting one letter to confuse the AwAS system.
He said the speaker’s actions resulted in traffic summonses amounting to more than RM12,600, accumulated since September 2023, being issued to the owner of the nearly identical number plate.
“This case came to light after the owner of the nearly identical registration number from Perlis was blacklisted over offences not committed by him.
“The original owner lodged a report after being blacklisted for offences he did not commit, and our investigation revealed that the offences were actually committed by another vehicle of the same type and model but in a different colour,” he said.
Muhammad Kifli said following intelligence gathering and investigations, JPJ detained the 50-year-old man along with the vehicle at the North–South Expressway near the Behrang Rest and Service Area at 9.30pm last Saturday.
The case is being investigated under Section 108(3)(f) of the Road Transport Act 1987. — Bernama
