SKAA 3842

TRAFFIC ENGINEERING

NAME OF GROUP MEMBERS

MATRIC NUM

NOR SHAHERA EZATY BINTI MUSTAFA KAMAL

A12KA0108

NURILHAM BINTI MHD NASIR

A12KA0153

SHAHIDAH AZIRA BINTI ZULKIFLI

A12KA0158

NABILA HUDA BINTI ADNAN

A12KA0098

NUR SYAZMIRA BINTI AB HALIM

A12KA0144

LECTURER :
SUB. DATE : 09 APRIL 2015

Table of Contents
1.0

Introduction
1.1

Introduction

1.2

Study area

1.3

Problem statement

1.4

Objective

1.5

Scope of work

2.0

Causes of Accident

3.0

OSHA 1994 And Occupational Safety And Health Industry Code Of Practice
For Road Transport Activities 2010

4.0

5.0

3.1

OSHA 1994

3.2

Occupational Safety and Health Industry Code Of Practice for Road Transport
Activities 2010

3.3

Occupational Safety and Health Industrial Code of Practice for Road

Transport Activities 2010, JKKP DP(S) 127/379/3-5, Department of
Occupational Safety and Health, support OSHA1994

Analyses Evident On Road Environment and Tire Marks

4.1

Road environment

4.2

Tire skid mark

Damage and Deformation of the Steel Barrier At The Road Shoulder

5.1

Road barrier

5.2

Types of road barrier

5.3
6.0

5.2.1

Rigid barrier

5.2.2

Semi-rigid barrier

5.2.3

Flexible barrier

W-beam Guardrail Design Parameter

The Damaged Bus

6.1

Analysis of the problems by bus structure

6.2

Bus body components and manufacturing process

2

7.0

8.0

Role of Authority in An Accident

7.1

Role of Ambulance

7.2

Role of Fire Fighter

7.3

Role of Police

7.4

Civil Defence Emergency Response Team

Recommendation
8.1

Recommendations for the safe design of the bus structure.

8.2

Recommendations for the safe for the bus driver.

1.0

INTRODUCTION

1.1

Introduction

Road accidents constitute one of the major social problems in Malaysia. Accidents are
relatively rare and unpredictable, sometimes it is direct observation and often impossible. In a
developing country, the road accident has increased years by years. This could be due to an
increasing in vehicle occupancy over time or to be more specific types of accident are much
more common now than 10 years ago. Growth in urbanization and in the number of vehicles
in many developing countries has led to the increase in traffic accidents on road networks
which were never designed for the volumes and types of traffic which they are now required
to carry.
Road safety has been considered one of the social responsibilities of the Malaysia
Government. It is refers to methods and measures for reducing the risk of a person using the
road network being killed or seriously injured. The users of a road include pedestrians,
cyclists, motorists, their passengers, and passengers of on-road public transport, mainly
buses. Transportation is one of the basic things that people use and need in their everyday
lives. We need transportation to be able to travel and move to a different place especially if it
is distant. We use different modes of transportation like airplanes, trains, boats, cars, and
motorcycles. But the most abundant and commonly used of these are the cars, buses, and
motorcycles.
This is the reason why there are a lot of vehicular accidents that happen every day. It
may be caused by a lack of discipline of the driver, refusal to follow traffic rules, or poor
infrastructure. Vehicular accidents usually lead to injuries or even death. However, there are
traffic laws that may prevent these kinds of accidents to happen, but it is still up to the driver
to follow these rules. There are traffic enforcers who are willing to render service to help in
maintaining a good traffic. It is the responsibility of the driver to strictly follow traffic rules
and regulations for driving comes with great responsibility. We could admit that it is really
difficult to prevent vehicular accidents. But we could help in lessening the number of
accidents that happen every day by starting in ourselves and performing our role as a good
member of the community. We could think that doing this thing is too small but it could
actually start the lead and change those people who are unconscious of the danger that they
face in disregarding traffic rules. Knowing these things, we could actually help in solving this
problem by reminding them to be aware of the possible things that might happen whenever
4

they are driving. Let us hope that accidents would lessen and the community will seek for
ways to resolve this major problem.

1.2

Study Area

This research discusses the road safety procedures with reference to the KM 301, road
of Malacca to Penang, Malaysia are shows in Figure 1.1. This area is located near to gua
tempurung, Perak. Issues and problems involved the condition of the bus and the condition of
the road in that area will be discussed. The pro-active approach adopted in the road safety is
generally becoming more important as compared to the re-active approach of accident black
spot investigation. It is like the saying prevention is better than cure, though this may be
easier said than done.

Figure 1.1: KM301, road of Malacca to Penang.

1.3

Problem Statement

The problem of road accidents in Malaysia is increasingly becoming the main concern
of the general public, particularly those in relevant government agencies such as the Ministry
of Transport, Ministry of Works and the Traffic Police. The issue of road accidents has
always been a subject of serious discussion in the media that involves concerned citizens,
academicians and members of non-governmental organisations. The huge economic loss due
to road accidents is a waste and various strategies have been embarked upon to reduce the
number of accidents, especially the fatal ones.

1.4

Objective

The objectives of this study are as follows:

1) To analyse the cause of the accident at KM301.
2) To identify any lack of safety throughout the study area, and
3) To reduce the risk of accidents occurring in the future to correct the lack of
infrastructure in the study area.

1.5

Scope of Works

There are several stages of the scope of work that can be performed in our study on the
location of the road:

1) Conducted a survey of the road to be examined and photographed the area.

2) Identify problems related to bus condition including and the behaviour of drivers.
3) Identify problems related to road condition including potholes, hydroplaning, and the
road design.

Detailed design stage typically involves the selection and implementation of standards
and guidelines to meet certain conditions such as traffic control, the brightness of street
lighting, drainage, landscaping and so on.

2.0

CAUSES OF ACCIDENT
Based on the case A Death Trip given, the quality of the bus company (Kenari

Group) initially is very excellent and professionalism. After a few years, there are a several
problems occurs in this company so the company not afford to maintain sufficient employee.
The main cause of the problem is because of financial problem due to the general economic
downturn, increasing fuel cost and competition from other bus companies. All company has
to find the best driver so the existing driver will turn to the company which gives the best
offer for them because their company have problem. Resulting from this situation, Kenari
Group only has a few drivers and the payment per month is just small amount unless the
driver willing to take up extra trip. The company needs also to maintain the less number of
drivers to reduce financial commitment.
One of the main contributors to express bus accident was the human fault such as driver
inexperience, fatigue, health problem and mistakes made consideration. They do not take
enough rest and enough preparation before starting their journey. There are also among them
those taking Metamphetamine (MDMA) to prevent them from being sleepy during driving.
Razak who was the driver in this accident has high possibility to take MDMA because he
usually takes it and has low blood sugar when working at night. He might be tired during the
journey because he need to cover other driver who was not able to during that day. They
should know that the responsibility of the passenger under their hands along their journey and
they need to make sure the journey went smoothly without any problems. In order to make
sure the journey went smoothly, they must ensure themselves in good condition. Tired body
condition can cause the driver fell asleep while driving and can reduce their reaction time if
emergency occur.
Besides, the company's management is very poor. A job that required more manpower
was only done by two executives only and of course the product was unsatisfactory. Most of
the job not follow the requirement such as the process of fulfill log book by the driver. All
information of the condition of bus before and after the journey, drivers information and all
information relating to the journey need to be recorded in log book to make sure all are in
good condition. In this situation, the log book was not recorded by using the correct
information because they just used the previous data. It is shown that they do not check the
bus condition before starting journey. The information in log book was very important
especially when accident like this occurs. The authorities need all data in log book to
7

investigate the probability factor of the accident. The drivers traffic offenses were ignored by
the management of the company. They should take action against the drivers who commit
offenses in order for them to be more careful and responsible while driving. Good
management need to take care of all aspects to ensure the high good service and prevent any
problems from occurring. The image of the company should be maintained in order to gain
trust from the users.
Another factor that can cause the bus accident is the road condition. There are many
road conditions that could cause the driver to lose control of their vehicles and crash,
including potholes, deadly curve, hydroplaning and etc. there were several conditions of road
which are:
a) Potholes
A pothole is a type of failure in an asphalts pavement which is caused by the
presence of the water in the underlying soil structure and the presence of traffic
passing over the affected area. The presence of the water in the underlying structure
will weaken the soils that support the road. Once the potholes occur, it can grow
bigger up to several feet. It could be worst when there it rain because the rain water
will accelerate the process and creating a trap for vehicles, making on of the top
causes of car accidents. Even a small potholes on the road can cause serious property
damage to the car and even result in the car accident. And if the vehicle goes over big
potholes, the car may not be able to control the blow. This sudden and unexpected
impact can cause a driver to lose control and end up in a car accident where they may
be a serious injured or could be fatal.

b) Hydroplaning
On the other hands, the road condition that can cause an accident is hydroplaning.
Hydroplaning means vehicles loss of traction and sliding on a film of water. This
happen because of wet road surfaces or there is a water on the surface of the road that
can result in loss of control and steering ability of the drivers as the tires may loss
contact with the pavement. Hydroplaning result in many bus accident because they
can cause a sudden change in the vehicles speed and direction of the travel.

Moreover, hydroplaning also can cause the driver to lose some or all steering and
braking function thereby resulting in a loss of control over the vehicles.

c) Poor road design

Besides, poor design also one of the factors that contribute to the bus accident.
The design of a road can play a huge role in bus accident. Some of the most common
design flaws that result in the accident include the dangerous curve or normally being
called as a dead-mans curve. Another than that, the entrance and exit ramps that are
too short or do not allow safe merging causing the failing of the driver to make a
decision. Furthermore, pavement with inadequate skin resistance and poorly placed
signs and traffic signal also one of the examples of the poor road design. Defective or
missing guard rails are one of the common things in the road design. Unfortunately, a
guard rail is one of the important components that should have in designing the road.
This is because the guard rails act as a barrier that blocked the vehicles from falling
into the cliff or river when there is an accident.

Bus condition also the factor that contribute to the bus accident. For this case, the bus that
involved in his accident is very old which is about 20 year old. The condition of the bus also
shows that the bus was not serviced regularly. This might happen because the bus companies
want to cut the maintenance cost of the bus as it is very expensive. Besides, the structure of
the bus also one of the accident causing factors. From investigation, it shows that the
structure of the bus used to be welded in order to attach the main frame to the roof of the bus.
This is very irresponsible action because it would cause fatal to the passenger as the structure
is not very strong enough to protect the passenger from the accident. On the other hand, the
installation of the bus seat by the companies was not complying with the current standard of
the Vehicles Safety Standard. These irresponsible actions bring terrible consequence to the
passenger which is fatal or severe injured.

3.0

OSHA 1994 AND OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH INDUSTRY

CODE OF PRACTICE FOR ROAD TRANSPORT ACTIVITIES 2010

3.1

OSHA 1994
OSHA concerned with protecting the safety health and welfare of people engaged in

work or employment. The goal include to foster a safe and healthy work environment. Also
protect co-workers, family members, employers, customers and many other who might be
affected by the workplace environment. The Objective of OSHA:
1. to secure the safety , health and welfare of persons at work against risks to
safety or health arising out of the activities of persons at work
2. To protect persons at work other than persons at work against risk to safety or
health arising out of the activities of persons at work
3. To promote an occupational environment for persons at work which is adapted
to their physiological and psychological needs
4. To provide the means whereby the associated occupational safety and health
legislation may be replace by a system of regulation and approved industry
codes of practice designed to maintain or improve the standards of safety and
health

3.2

Occupational Safety and Health Industry Code of Practice for Road Transport

Activities 2010
This Occupational Safety and Health Industry Code of Practice for Road Transport
Activities 2010 shall be applicable to road transport activities involving vehicles used in all
industries listed under the First Schedule of Act 514. Vehicles including the following but not
limited to commercial vehicles, Public service vehicles, Goods vehicles and Tourism
vehicles. The objectives of the Occupational Safety and Health Industry Code of Practice for
Road Transport Activities 2010:
1. To provide guidance for employers and employees on the proper and effective
methods of handling issues relating to occupational safety and health in road
transport activities;
2. To ensure that persons other than their employees are not exposed to their
safety and health risks in consequence of transport activities carried out; and
3. To encourage education and awareness regarding safety and health at the place
of work.
10

3.3

Occupational Safety and Health Industrial Code of Practice for Road Transport

Activities 2010, JKKP DP(S) 127/379/3-5, Department of Occupational Safety and

Health, support OSHA1994

Duty of Employers
The employer shall prepare a written statement of safety and health policy for his place of
work and arrangements to carry out the policy as required under Section 15 and 17 of Act.
This safety and health policy showing the high commitment by the employer towards
occupational safety and health in line with the requirements of Act.

Subsection 15 OSHA requires employers:

to ensure, so far as is practicable, the safety, health and welfare at work of all his
employees
Subsection 17 OSHA requires employers:
to conduct his undertaking in such a manner as to ensure so far as is practicable, others
person not affected

Duty of Employees
Subsection 24 OSHA requires employees:
to take reasonable care for the safety and health of himself of other persons who maybe
affected by his acts or omissions at work

OSHA is based on self-regulation concept

OSHA 1994 applies to on-the-road work activities and the risks should be effectively
managed within a health and safety system including issues pertaining commuting accident
Currently there is Occupational Safety and Health Industrial Code of Practice for Road
Transport Activities 2010

11

4.0

ANALYSES EVIDENT ON ROAD ENVIRONMENT AND TIRE MARKS

4.1

Road Environment

For the road environment evidence, it was found to have a potential effect on road
crashes. The visibility, geometry, lane markings, surface condition, and street light facilities
have a potential influence on the drivers to perceive and react in a dynamic driving condition.
The interaction of road and environment is quite complex with driving behavior and
performance. In this case, it happen maybe because of the absence of street lights, unclear
lane marking were found to increase the risk of crash and its severity.

4.2

Tire Skid Mark

According to Wikipedia, skid mark is aspect of trace evidence analysis in

forensic and forensic engineering. Skid marks caused by tires on roads occur when a vehicle
wheel stops rolling and slides or spins on the surface of the road. Skid marks can be analyzed
to find the maximum and minimum vehicle speed prior to an impact or incident. A skid mark
is a tire mark on the road surface produced by a tire that is locked, that is not rotating. A skid
mark typically appears very light at the beginning of the skid getting darker as the skid
progresses and comes to an abrupt end if the vehicle stops at the end of the skid. There are
other types of tire marks including scuffs, scrubs and yaw marks. These must not be confused
with skid marks. A skid mark is left when the driver applies the brakes hard, locking the
wheels, but the car continues to slide along the road. Steering is not possible with the front
wheels locked. Skid marks are generally straight but may have some curvature due to the
slope of the road.
From the photo 1 below, it shows that the right tire mark is skids about 5.7m long.
Several things must be determined before you can determine the vehicle's skid speed. Such
as, the skid distance, a drag factor for the road surface and the braking efficiency of the
vehicle.
The skid speed is the speed of the vehicle at the beginning of the visible skid mark.
This will be conservative value as the wheel do not lock-up instantly. The skid distance for
this case is 5.7m long because only one mark is found. If there have more than one mark, the
average must be calculated. Besides that, drag factor need to be consider. A drag factor is the
term for the tire/road surface interface when determining vehicle speeds. There are several
12

ways to find the drag factor but the most accurate is to conduct a series of test skids with an
exemplar vehicle equipped with a recording accelerometer and chalk bumper gun. Some
examples of drag factor values, drag factor ranges for various typical road surfaces are:

Portland Cement: 0.55 to 1.20

Asphalt: 0.50 to 0.90

Gravel: 0.40 to 0.80

Thirdly need to be consider is the braking efficiency. Each wheel on a car provides a
certain amount of the total brake force available. If all four wheels are braking evenly,
leaving four distinct skid marks, then braking efficiency is 100%, or 1.00. If the rear brakes
are not functioning at all, then 40% of the brake force is not available, leaving a braking
efficiency of 0.60 for the car as it was skidding. For rear wheel drive cars, the brake force can
be assumed to be 30% for each of the front wheels and 20% for each of the rear wheels.
With the above, you have the three variables required to complete the minimum skid
speed formula:
v=speed (km/hour)
D=distance of skid
f=drag factor for the road surface
n=braking efficiency
It is important to understand this is a minimum speed for the vehicle at the beginning of the
skid. It is not possible to find all of the skid mark given it starts out as a light shadow
becoming progressively darker. And this formula assumes the vehicle comes to a stop at the
end of the skid without hitting anything, like another car or tree or bridge abutment. If there is
a speed value at the end of the visible skid, as when the car strikes something, the residual
speed value must be combined with the calculated minimum skid speed.

13

5.0

DAMAGE AND DEFORMATION OF THE STEEL BARRIER AT THE

ROAD SHOULDER
5.1

Crash barrier
Crash barrier is a feature on a road which is primarily designed to avoid errant vehicle

or motorist from leaving the road and protecting them from hazardous features. These
features should be installed where run-off-road accidents are recorded to be high at each
location which would result in the reduction of accident severity. It is required to provide
protection occupants from such objects that may result in accidents if the object is highly
exposed. Thus, crash barriers should be able to withstand the impact of vehicles of certain
weights at a certain angle while traveling at the specified speed by absorbing the impact
energy during the collision.
Ideally, the working principle of a crash barrier is hidden within the long continuous
smooth surface of the structure. Upon impact, the vehicle is redirected, without overturning,
to a path that is nearly parallel to the barrier face and with a lateral deceleration, which is
allowable to the motorist. These features are expected to guide the vehicle back on the road
while keeping the level of damage on the vehicle as well as to the barriers within acceptable
limits. This is in order to minimize the risks of injury to the passengers inside the vehicle.
Also, safety would be increase if the barrier with high absorption material properties is used
for better energy dissipation during impact of collision.
However, from the case, the steel barrier installed was crashed and it showed that the
steel barrier cannot withstand the collision impacts from the bus.

Crushed road barrier

14

5.2 Types of crash barrier

Generally, the availability of the crash barrier can be divided into three specific types:
Rigid Barriers
Semi- Rigid Barriers
Flexible Barriers
The use of these three different types of barriers is correlated with the different safety
requirements of each particular road which varies in terms of their deflection and energy
absorption properties as well as their suitability for different road characteristics. Safety and
characteristics vary depending on the type of barrier.
5.2.1 Rigid Barrier
Rigid is referring to the deficiencies in or devoid to flexibility which does not deflect upon
impact. Indeed, rigid barrier has the limitation of the energy absorption and this is
accomplished by redirecting a vehicle away from hits it. Therefore, during a collision, energy
dissipation is achieved through deformation of the vehicle and rising and lowering of the
vehicle body. The impact energy controlling by the feature is able to redirect the colliding
vehicle stably without any rolling movement. These features usually made of reinforced
concrete element connected with deformable steel beam or plates are most suitable in
locations where there is a limited area for barrier deflection and perform optimally in
collisions where the impact angle is 15 or less.
Rigid barriers can be classified into two categories; single slope (e.g. Texas Constant Slope
Barrier and Californian Single Slope Barrier) and multi slope barrier (e.g. New Jersey Barrier
and F-Type Concrete Barrier).

Concrete barrier at MRR2 in Selayang

15

Concrete barrier with antiglare screens along Karak Expressway (E8)

5.2.2 Semi- Rigid Barrier

There are three types of semi-rigid safety barriers commonly used along Malaysian roads;
which are the W-beam, Thrie-beam and Modified Thrie-beam guardrails. The barrier system
deforms significantly but not excessively (greater deflection properties compared to the rigid
system, but less than the flexible system) when impacted by vehicles and has a moderate
deflection of a maximum of 1.2 m. Generally, this type can be classified into two (2) specific
groups:
i. Strong Beam / Weak Post
The posts near the point of impact are purposely designed to break away so that the force of
the impact is distributed by beam action to a relatively larger number of posts. Attributes of
this system are:
Barrier performance is independent of impact point at or between posts and soil properties,
and
Vehicle snagging on a post is virtually eliminated.
ii.Strong Beam / Strong Post
The posts near the point of impact are purposely designed to only deflect moderately and the
force of the impact is distributed by beam action to a small number of posts. This is to be
considered when:
Minimal deflection is required
Transitioning to rigid objects such as bridge parapets.
16

The system mainly includes a steel beam attached to block out units supported on posts. The
blocked out units and posts are normally constructed of steel. Although there are posts
constructed of wood and concrete, they are not favoured because of poor impact
performance.

Single-mounted W-beam guardrail median along NorthSouth Expressway (E2) in

Serdang

Double-mounted W-beam guardrail median along Kepong road

Customised stacked mounted W-beam guardrail along Karak Expressway (E8)

17

5.2.3 Flexible Barrier

Flexible barriers have the greatest deflection and energy absorption properties of the three
types of barriers, providing significant lateral deflection and thus resulting in the lowest
deceleration forces on vehicles, such as cars, and their occupants. It absorbs the impact
kinetic energy through the posts, anchors and pre-tensioned wire ropes and wrap around the
colliding vehicle by stretches the cables and post break. In addition, it guides the collided
vehicle forward away with minimal impact through the barrier rather than redirect the vehicle
back to the flow of traffic thus keep the vehicle to a minimum damage and reduce the risk of
injury.
Wire Rope Safety Barriers (WRSB) or also known as Wire Rope Safety Fences, are classified
as a flexible barrier system which creates large deflections when impacted by vehicles.
Because of this unique characteristic, flexible wire rope barriers cause the least damage and
the smallest injury risk to the vehicles and occupants, as compared to other existing barrier
types. There are two types of flexible barrier systems, namely vertical array and twisted array
wire rope safety fences. The latter is the commonly used type of flexible barrier in Malaysia.

Flexible wire rope barrier along Kuala Lumpur-Karak Expressway (E8) in Gombak

Flexible wire rope barrier alongside flyover at Middle Ring Road 2 (MRR2) in Gombak

18

5.3 W-beam Guardrail Design Parameter

Nowadays, a W-beam guardrail type is the most appropriate of longitudinal safety
barrier along the road in every country. This is a semi- rigid barrier system which can be used
for the least to moderate deflection is acceptable likewise almost 1.2 meters (m) deflection.
The W-beam guardrail can be used on single shoulder as well as a median barrier to separate
the opposite flow of traffic where high strength is required but inappropriate for rigid barrier
due to limited adequate space. It has to stress that the W-beam guardrail is a relatively rigid
object to be impacted and relatively serious injury to the errant vehicle especially
motorcyclists. Hence it is utmost important that the design guidelines should be followed to
standards guardrail regulation.
To achieve an optimum function, the design of the guardrail should behave as
follows:
a) The W-beam barrier must be strong enough to withstand the high axial tensile and bending
stresses that occur in the event of vehicle impact.
b) The W-beam first bends and then flattens out forming a wide tension band to contain the
impacting vehicle.
c) The posts are initially restrained by passive pressure in the soil, resulting in local failure of
the soil at the ground line and for a short distance below.
d) The steel posts partially rotate, with their point of rotation some distance below the ground
and also bend near the ground line.
A barrier should be able to dissipate the large amount of kinetic energy from the impact of a
moving vehicle. This is because; a moving vehicle has a kinetic energy which is proportional
to the square of the velocity. (KE= MV2). Indeed, fastest the vehicle speed creates more
kinetic energy that should be overcome by the barrier.

19

General summary for semi-rigid barrier installation.

W-beam characteristics

Based on the guideline above, the most appropriate and suitable test level for the highway is
TL-3.

20

6.0

THE DAMAGED BUS

6.1

Analysis of the problems by bus structure

The result of the investigation showed the bus structure used welding techniques to

attach the main frame to the roof of the bus. In addition, the structure of bus showed some
rust problems that were critical. The age of bus was nearing twenty years that is a major
contributor to the rust problems. Fragile structure of the floor and he installation of seat was
no in accordance with the required standard that contributed to the number of deaths. Apart
from that, the victims of accident were thrown out during the accident due to weak of the
structure and installation of bus seat.

6.2

Bus body components and manufacturing process

Bus body structure can be divided into three parts which is the chassis and engine,

structural body, interior and exterior parts and also comprises of six main components which
is the left frame side, the right frame side, the front frame side, the back frame side, the top
frame side, and the bottom frame side. The right side has two doors which is the driver door
and the emergency door. The both frame sides are installed by mirrors and welded with sheet
metal which concerned to the critical parts. The parts need to be analytical test by at least
stimulation or physical test such torsion and bending tests that are widely stimulated by FE
analysis. The top and roof frame is considered as critical parts that need to have higher level
of strength. The back and front frame are mostly supported and joined with the left and right
sides as well as the roof frame and the floor (bottom) frame need to be both strong and beauty
style. The shape is quite become curvature, slop, and good aero dynamic. The bottom frame
side which is welded or joined with chassis and other five parts. Each part is further
combined by a lot of pieces which is called trust. The critical dimensions are length, width,
and height must be balanced to keep the vehicle stability. The chassis details must be checked
during manufacturing process. They are mirrors which are turn left and right lights, control
panel, mileage panel, fuel vessels, battery, spare tires and etc. The chassis frame is drilled at
the supporting point which has 16 points. The angle plates are extended all of 16 points and
tighten by bolts and nuts. 8 beam bars are used to support the whole mass of bus body. 13
major columns are used to fix the mirrors. The door columns are jointed together. Front
21

columns left and right, the trust bar for the front frame are welded. The front and back frames
are constructed together with mirrors followings with covering the whole bus body with sheet
metals. Engine spaces are installed by insulation materials to protect heat transfers. Anti-rust
coating and testing process (Engine system, electrical system, air conditioning system).

The bus structure components

22

7.0

ROLE OF AUTHORITY IN AN ACCIDENT

Authority needs to take care of all cases occurring in our country including accidents

cases. Most of the cases in our country can be controlled with the presence of authority.
According to the Road Safety Department website, the number of accidents involving express
buses went up to 2348 cases in 2009 from 2056 the year before. There are many authorities
that responsible in accident cases, they should be stricter in upholding existing laws and
policies to cut down on road accidents. Enforcement should be stricter, there should be more
round-the-clock enforcement to put the fear into drivers, not only commercial but all drivers
because other road users contribute to accidents as well. There were several authorities that
play an important role during road accident:
7.1

Role of Ambulance
Ambulance is one of the authority that directly involve in road accident.they have to

use their experience, skills and quick thinking to assess the situation as early as possible.
They will scan the scene and look for the casualties who seem to be the most severely injured
and deal with them first. In doing so though, they will also be responsible for calming other
injured individuals who may be more vocal at the scene, but as trained specialists they will
know exactly who to deal with first.
One of the roles of an ambulance crew is to be able to stabilise and treat patients
before they are transported to hospital safely and without delay. Its essential for ambulance
crews to be able to take care of the situation immediately whilst remaining in control and
being calm. They will often carry out diagnostic tests at the scene and if possible carry out
some basic first aid. From there they will decide whether to take the casualty to the hospital
or whether they can simply deal with them there.
They would also decide which type of pre-hospital emergency care was most suitable
and carry out certain treatments. For example they managing airways and supporting
breathing, controlling bleeding whilst maintaining circulation with cardio pulmonary
resuscitation, using semi-automatic defibrillators to steady irregular heartbeats and applying
special splints and dressing wounds.

23

7.2

Role of Fire Fighter

Fire fighter knows that seconds count when they and other emergency responder arrive at the
scene of the road accident. Therefore they rely on their advanced training, communication
skills and an array of equipment to conduct a safe and efficient rescue operation. Fire fighter
based on their goals which are:
a)

To ensure the safety of the scene

Scene safety is very important in every accident case. A vehicle can be leaking dangerous
fluids or on fire anytime. The accident could be in the middle of a busy roadway, in busy
highway or near the area which there were many people. Fire fighter must immediately deal
with scene and situation for a safe rescue.
b)

To stabilize the vehicle

The bus that involve in the accident must be stabilized before patient extrication can safely
start. They will ensure that safety technology are functioning but in this accident it is not easy
to ensure the safety because most of the part of the bus not in good condition.
c)

To attend to the patient while crews begin the rescue

Fire fighter will attempt to communicate with trapped patient immediately after arriving on
the scene. When the bus can be safely entered, a fire fighter will make an initial assessment
of the patient and follow all medical protocols, supplying oxygen or applying a neck brace if
needed. Emergency Medical Services will provide further medical treatment as soon as
possible.

24

7.3

Role of Police
Police will attend the scene as soon as theyre informed of the accident and will direct

traffic and pedestrians away from the scene. They will control the traffic flow around the
scene so that traffic does not jam and emergency work can be done easily. They are also
likely to start questioning victims and witnesses on the accident to get information before
making a report at the station. The police will work in conjunction with any other emergency
services that arrive at the scene. They will investigate the cause of the problems and try to get
all data required in their investigation. Type of injury, road condition, number of casualties
and location are information needed by police in the investigation process.
7.4

Civil Defence Emergency Response Team

Civil Defence Emergency Response Team (CDERT) was established on March 16,

2006 by the Arahan Jabatan Bil.1 in 2006, where all State and Local Public Officials have
been instructed to implement the establishment of the team CDERT in government agencies,
private and statutory bodies. It was officially enacted as law under the Malaya defence
system. This law was extended to the country when Malaysia gained independence. The civil
defence was initially assigned to assist rescue teams during emergencies such as floods,
which frequently occur in Malaysia. Lately, civil defence has become an additional body that
augmented the services provided by fire and rescue, the police, and hospitals during an
emergency. Today, they are recognized as an agency that provides assistance in small-scale
emergencies and in the event of road accidents. Civil defence personnel are equipped with
rescue equipment and ambulance, similar to hospitals. They are also trained to perform the
basic work of paramedics and fire fighting to assist other providers. In the course of rescue,
they also record the details of the incident. In accident cases, CDERT will provide emergency
medical care to accident victims with other authorities.

25

8.0

RECOMMENDATION

8.1

Recommendations for the safe design of bus structure.

The design of bus structure is the basis of various bus developments in the bus

industries. These are some recommendation for designing a safe structure of the bus. The first
step is to design the body which is matched with a selected chassis. The critical dimensions
are the length, the width, and the height. They must be balanced to keep the vehicle stability.
The top frame or roof frame must be sufficiently strong to ensure the safety of the passengers.
Special type of welding such as MIG, TIG and spot welding arc are much better than normal.
Apart of that, bus rollover protection is important which is specifies the minimum
structural strength of buses in rollover type accidents. Intrusion into the survival space
demarcated in the vehicle interior, by any part of the vehicle outside the survival space is
prohibited. Each anchorage of the seats and overhead luggage racks must not completely
separate from its mounting structure.
In the case of an accident situation the passengers of a bus have to leave the vehicle as
quickly as possible. The number of Emergency Exits shall be proportional to the passenger
capacity of the buses. Besides, bus mirror system provides bus drivers with a full view of the
front and sides of the buses danger zone. Each side window glazing opposite the impacted
side of the vehicle must remain attached to its mounting such that there is no opening that
will allow the passage of a 102 mm diameter sphere. Side window glazing is to ensure that
the vehicle's structural integrity will prevent heavy glazing panels from falling into the
passenger compartment and becoming ejection portals.

Figure 1: Roll over protection

26

Seat installation also is an important parts of the bus structure which can reduce the
number of accident victims. Therefore, all busses should provide seatbelts fro the drivers to
avoid impact of with the dashboard or windshield in the event of collisions. Implication if
belt anchorage secured to vehicle seat and structure to meet comfort requirements. Adoption
of floating seat reduces the vibration. Seat vibration has been reduced by controlling seat
resonance frequency and the structures of seat-mounting unit are replaced with floating
structures using rubber blushing. It is to control the resonance frequencies of the entire seat.
Installation of bus duct outdoors need protection from internal and external rust. It
protects by choosing housing made of a rust-resistant metal such as stainless steel or coat the
housing metal to prevent oxidation. Coating will last a long time by starting with a two part
epoxy primer or chromate vinyl wash primer and finishing it with two part polyurethane or
catalyst cured polyester paint. Anti-rust coating and testing process in engine system,
electrical system, and air conditioning system is a must. Installation pre-wired space heaters
with integral thermostats to prevent condensation problems using flame-retardant, waterproof
and vapour-resistant wall entrance fittings.
Every bus driver must be performing a pre-trip and post-trip inspection on the bus
prior to the end of his/her shift. The busses must undergo at least weekly safety inspection.
This is to do a general inspection that the vehicles is in the good condition and immediately
report if there has any defect on the bus. This checklist inspection covers the bus body, tyres
and includes the fire extinguishers and reflector triangle. Any damage should be reported to
the workshops to be rectified.
8.2

Recommendations for the safe for the bus driver.

Another recommendation to reduce the bus accident is by introduce the System Safety
Programs. The concept of a system safety program for bus transit systems has been accepted
at a large majority of the respondent transit systems and is considered to be quite effective in
preventing accidents. The system safety program (SSP) is the process of ensuring that safety
is integrated into all aspects of transit system operations. The key features of the SSP include
the full commitment and support of top management to system safety; the inclusion of all
departments in the process; the designation of one individual (with direct access to top
management) as the responsible safety authority; the identification and definition of the
safety roles and responsibilities of all 37 departments and key individuals; and the
27

establishment of a proactive safety program, with emphasis on identifying and resolving

hazards prior to their causing accidents.
Other than that, the Kenari Group should be more selective and strict about the
finding and hiring the bus operators. In order to find the best bus operators, the special
classification requirements should include all of the following criteria.
I.

Age. At least 25 years old

II.

Height. 5 ft 2 in. minimum, 6 ft 4 in. maximum.

III.

Physical condition. Must meet Kenari Group standards, including no addiction

to alcohol or drugs. Candidates must pass a Kenari-paid physical examination

IV.

Tests. Must pass a set of test questions.

V.

License. Must hold a valid CDL and be able to obtain a Bus Operator Police

Permit from the Police Department.

VI.

Employment record. Must have a favourable job history and satisfactory

references.
VII.

Punctuality. Must be able to arrive at work on time to permit maintenance of

schedules. Potential candidates who meet these special minimum classification requirements
will be notified of a testing date.

28