Safety audit results of trailer involved in USAS students' crash to be known next week

KUALA TERENGGANU: The result of the Road Transport Department's (JPJ) Inspection and Safety Audit (JISA) on the trailer involved in the crash that killed five Universiti Sultan Azlan Shah (USAS) students on the North-South Expressway on May 12 is expected to be known next week.

Its director-general Datuk Zailani Hashim said the department was currently collecting information regarding road safety and commercial vehicle safety aspects on the trailer.

He said the department was also checking if the trailer had undergone tests at Pusat Pemeriksaan Kenderaan Berkomputer (Puspakom) and was in compliance with all regulations and specifications.

"Only after all the checks have been done, then we can make a decision whether the trailer had complied with regulations or not....we will detail it in a statement later.

"Every vehicle, whether lorry, trailer or bus, has different inspection complexities, what more a trailer that has broken down before, so the parts we want to check like brakes and clutch need to be studied in detail to check whether they meet the department's automobile engineering specifications," he told reporters after attending the Terengganu JPJ Aidilfitri celebrations here today.

Five USAS students, Muhammad Nasrun Aidol Munir Akbar, 22; Ahmad Naim Najmi Ahmad Hafizan, 21; Muhammad Nabil Haikal Muhammad Fariz, 19; Ahmad Akmal Ahmad Mokhlis, 20 and Iqbal Hasnun Halimi, 23, were killed when the car they were in caught fire after being rammed from behind by the trailer near the Menora Tunnel.

On JPJ action on the frequent number of crashes involving heavy vehicles recently, Zailani said the department would use advocacy and enforcement approaches in the field.

"The public is welcome to send in complaints to the JPJ via the e-Aduan app because this system will help identify offenders quicker and more accurately, within 48 hours from the time the complaint was lodged," he added.

-- BERNAMA