Kunak-LD highway tops list of Sabah blackspots
Published on: Sunday, July 10, 2016
PETALING JAYA: Six of the 78 accident-prone areas or blacksports nationwide are found in Sabah, mostly on the east coast and northern Sabah.Topping the list on the Sabah side is the Kunak -Lahad Datu highway, along Km 9. 27, 30 and 32. This is followed by the Lahad Datu-Tawau highway at Km3 and the Semporna-Tawau highway at Km24.
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In Beluran, the blackspots are at the Beluran-Telupid highway at Km 65 and Telupid-Ranau highway at Km24. The sixth is along the Kota Kinabalu-Kudat highway at Km3.2 Federal police increased the number of blackspots – from the 40 identified during the Chinese New Year break – following the number of accidents recorded throughout "Op Selamat" in February. During the last campaign, 19,572 accidents were recorded resulting in 261 deaths.
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Op Selamat during Hari Raya last year saw 20,458 accidents with 330 deaths. "These are some of the measures taken for the current Op Selamat to bring down the number of accidents and deaths," said Federal traffic police chief SAC Mahamad Akhir Darus. "We have listed an additional number of blackspots and will concentrate on those areas."
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Federal traffic police investigations and enforcement (operation) officer DSP Bakri Zainal Abidin said police had increased the number of speed cameras to 50, in addition to the existing Automated Enforcement System (AES) cameras, while another 50 cameras were installed to detect motorists who use the emergency lanes. He said the Mobile Tru Camera HD would record road users who use the emergency lanes to avoid traffic congestion. He added motorists caught using the emergency lanes, using their mobile phones while driving, cutting queues and driving above the speed limit would be fined RM300. Bakri also said bases would be set up in critical areas where 10 to 12 traffic police personnel would be stationed to conduct regular patrols and dispatched during an emergency. "Other personnel would also conduct routine patrols along highways. While the number of accidents decreased, there has been an increase in the number of deaths between Op Selamat during Hari Raya last year and Chinese New Year in February. "The huge number of vehicles on the road contributed to the spike in the number of deaths. We aim to reduce the number of deaths this year through these new measures." Fire and Rescue assistant director-general of operations Zurkarnain Mohd Kassim earlier, urged motorists not to use the emergency lanes as this would hinder rescue efforts during emergencies. Among the other agencies involved in Op Selamat are the Road Transport Department, Land Public Transport Commission and highway authorities. Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research Chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye applauded the move by police. "This is something long awaited. What we need to strengthen law enforcement as it is important to send strong message to road users there would be no compromise on road safety," he said. "There have been recent cases where lives were lost as rescue personnel were not able to reach crash sites on time due to people hogging emergency lanes. Stern action must be taken against them especially during this festive season where traffic will be heavy." Lee said people tend to blame the vehicles and roads but it boils down to attitude. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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