Police: UPSI Bus Driver In Deadly Gerik Crash Had 18 Traffic Summonses, Including Speeding
Further checks on the bus itself showed 21 summonses linked to the vehicle.
Cover image via Police today, 10 June, confirmed that the driver of the chartered bus involved in the deadly crash near Gerik, in which killed 14 students and one bus attendant, has a record of 18 prior traffic summonses
According to Federal Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri, checks on the driver's record showed that 13 summonses were for speeding, one for an accident-related offence, three for not wearing a seatbelt, and one for a faulty third brake light.
Further checks on the bus itself showed 21 summonses linked to the vehicle, five of which are still under investigation, while the remainder have been settled in court, reported the New Straits Times.
Meanwhile, the bus driver earlier denied speeding and attributed the crash to a sudden brake failure
39-year-old Mohd Amirul Fadhil Zulkifle said the bus was in good condition when it departed from Jertih, Terengganu on its approximately five-hour journey to UPSI's campus in Tanjong Malim, Perak.
He described the harrowing moments when the brakes and air system failed without warning, rendering the handbrake useless and making gear shifts impossible.
"I tried everything I could. Without air pressure, nothing worked. I couldn't control the bus. I remember swerving past at least four vehicles, including a lorry, trying to avoid crashing into them. The last vehicle I overtook had a dashcam. I was not speeding," he told the New Straits Times.
Currently receiving treatment for a hand injury at Taiping Hospital, the driver has yet to give a formal statement to police, and a remand order will only be issued once he is discharged.
Authorities continue to investigate the precise cause of the crash, with questions now focusing on both the mechanical condition of the bus and the driver's actions leading up to the accident.
