James Kon
Drivers of commercial vehicles, heavy vehicles and public transports must comply with the regulations under Chapter 68 of the Road Traffic Act.
This was stated by Acting Director of Traffic Control and Investigation at the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pengiran Haji Abdul Salam bin Pengiran Haji Abdul Ghani during a press conference at the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications following the launch of a pilot project to replace speed warning device (SWD) under the Road Traffic Regulations 2002 yesterday.
He said majority of 20 traffic offences committed by heavy vehicle drivers were overloading, driving with worn-out tyres and cruising down the left lane instead of the assigned right lane for heavy vehicles.
Senior Superintendent of Police Pengiran Haji Abdul Salam said, “Drivers should comply with the requirements issued by the Land Transport Department and ensure road safety is upheld at all times.”
He also advised drivers of heavy and commercial vehicles to monitor their health regularly to make sure they are medically fit for the tasks and are absent of any underlying medical conditions.
On top of having a valid licence, the drivers are urged to develop the habit of checking the condition of the vehicle before use.
Meanwhile, Director of Land Transport Haji Rozaly bin Haji Saidon said the new SWD is a vast improvement from the old model, which had some weaknesses. The latest device, as part of the pilot project, comes equipped with global positioning system (GPS), thus allowing for prompt actions to be taken due to real-time monitoring and evidence collecting.
At present, the department is testing the effectiveness of the new system, and Haji Rozaly revealed that a number of local companies have been using the new SWD and have reported positive results in terms of effectiveness in the monitoring of vehicles, which includes how the drivers handle the vehicles such as the frequency of harsh braking, harsh turning, stopping and other dangerous driving habits.
The pilot project will run for six months during which 16 participating vehicles will receive warning from the Land Transport Department upon any road violation.