How safe are you?

By now, I'm sure everybody have read or at least heard of the accidents involving a few cars and bus at PLUS Highway 223 or better known as Simpang Ampat.

The number of deaths was 15. Not to mention those in critical condition and also those in trauma over this incident. Now, I am not going to go into details on this matter but I'm just going to ask a question - Why is this happening?

Too often we read about a bus involving in an accident - especially during festive seasons. Too often there are huge amounts of deaths or casualties. Now how can this happen? Is it the driver's negligence? Or is it the responsibility of the management? How about the owner of the bus? Most of the time there might be a problem with the vehicle itself, be it failure of the brakes or worn out tyres or many other mechanical things. Then add that with human error, and you've got fatalities that some other country only get because of war. Although some may not want to admit this, but I find it incredibly stupid to die for no reason - like some roadkill frog - when you could've died for so many other patriotic and memorable ways.

This same goes to deaths of pilots that died on routine training flights because of flying some rusty old Nuri bought some time in the late 60's that has been used, re-used and should be sent to scrap metal shop instead of having someone fly them. OK, I know it's better to just throw out the old and in with the new, but let's say, hypothetically that our Government is very very poor, then why not use some of the money that's still there (There are still some money there right? I mean if you can spend RM400million for 1Malaysia F1 team, don't you at least have another RM1million to spare for emergencies?) for maintenance on the current aircrafts we have now. Instead of tendering ridiculously high priced projects to replace the old aircrafts with new toys that might get rusty without proper care, let's allocate some of those money for the maintenance part that can sustain the aircrafts we have for many more years to come.

I think this behaviour of appreciating what we have and taking care of it through maintenance should start from the bottom of the pyramid right up to the top. In the long run, we can save more money and not forgetting to mention the lives as well as allowing people to keep having jobs for many years. Now, isn't that a win-win situation? 

OK, I'm sure some of you know I drive almost everyday (from my rantings in Twitter) and that I go through Federal Highway to go to my destination. Two days ago, I was on the highway as usual, driving on the right lane during heavy traffic when this lorry suddenly zooms next to me. I was so surprised to see the tyre of this lorry. OMG!

Look at the tyre!

Close-up 

Isn't that a threat to other road users' safety? What if he loses control of his lorry? What about all the other vehicles on his right and left? Right after I took the picture, someone from two cars ahead of me called out to the lorry driver and was pointing at the lorry's tyre. The Indian dude - the driver - just kept on nodding and drove off. I wonder where he's going though as far as I know, there is no lorry workshop from where we're at or any where towards KL. So he's risking his safety and the safety of others to go to wherever his destination is instead of having the tyres fixed immediately after it exploded.

Now who's to blame?

Lives cannot be bought. Let's not waste it in vain.

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MONICA