After the recent fatal accident in Muar that resulted in 14 people dying from a bus crash, you’d imagine that more drivers would be cautious when driving.
A passenger named Firdaus Wong Wai Hung was believed to be on a bus travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Muar when he caught the express bus driver on duty smoking and using his smartphone while driving precariously. 2 videos which was uploaded on Facebook yesterday (Monday, 26th December) have since gone viral.
The videoclips were accompanied with a caption by Firdaus saying, “Perhaps this is the reason why road accidents occur. Smoking and reading as well as replying text messages while driving. Not all drivers would act this way. Hence don’t let a single speck ruin an entire pot of otherwise good milk. This footage was taken while I was in a Mayang Sari bus. The bus’ number plate is JRU 7400. I was traveling from TBS to Muar.”
From the footage, the reckless male driver can be seen maneuvering the steering wheel with his left hand while simultaneously balancing the mobile phone on his lap and holding a cigarette. Another clip showed the same driver holding his gadget with both his hands while replying his messages.
Watch:
Many netizens question Firdaus on his decision to not confront the driver at the moment, to which he replied, “Plenty have commented here (on this Facebook post) asking me why did I not tell the driver off? If you were in my place at that moment in time, how would you have known that nobody else had already earlier complained?”
He continued: “This is considered humiliating another person, so I really hope you understand what you are commenting about. To ruin another person’s rice bowl is one thing. What about endangering the lives of others on board the bus? If my footage of this scene is considered ruining another person’s rice bowl, then what about the hotline where one can call in to place a complain should a driver be operating his or her vehicle recklessly?”
Firdaus also filed a complaint to the bus company, Mayang Sari Express, and has received a reassurance that an internal investigation will be conducted. He later praised SPAD (Malaysia’s Land Public Transport Commission) for being proactive in looking into this incident.
Johor Road Transport Department (JPJ) director Mohd Rusdi Mohd Darus told The Star that stern action will taken against the bus driver for risking the lives of his passengers.
Sources: Firdaus Wong’s Facebook, The Star, Discover KL.
