I refer to the malaysiakin i report Bus crash kills 20, two in critical condition . I would like to offer my condolences to those who lost their loved ones in yesterday morning's express bus tragedy which has claimed 20 lives so far. My thoughts are with all those affected.

It has since transpired from TV news reports that the bus company involved had at least 19 unsettled summonses and there were two arrest warrants issued against the now deceased bus driver. The reports also mentioned that the bus involved had failed five safety checks earlier this year due to a poor braking system. One of the survivors testified that the bus was travelling 'at high speed' during the journey.

The authorities have reacted by suspending the operations of the bus company and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety (Miros) has now been tasked to investigate the accident.

This tragedy has raised a number of issues:

Why was there no stricter action taken against the driver who was still free to work after having two arrest warrants issued against him? Was there any corruption and bribery involved?

Was the braking system of the bus in good working order during its last inspection? Was there any foul play involved in its last safety approval?

How long did it take for emergency services to respond to this particular tragedy?

Why are some buses still travelling beyond their 90 kph speed limit on highways? What happened to the black box ruling introduced a few years back?

Have any SMS complaints been received in the past regarding buses driven by this driver? How has the SMS complaint system been fairing since its implementation? Is there proof that it has been effective in reducing the number of errant drivers? Or has it been a futile exercise and a bad use of public funds?

How real or bad is the situation of overworked bus drivers taking drugs to stay alert on the job? This was highlighted by the BBC in 2004.

Reports have noted that passengers were flung out of the exposed roof of the bus. Can Miros study whether fatalities would have been reduced if Malaysia had made it compulsory for safety belts to be fitted on all express bus seats and made their use mandatory?

The prime minister has said that express bus drivers must be as fit as airline pilots, stick to stipulated working hours and constantly remind themselves that the safety of passengers is in their hands. This is sound advice no doubt, only that I can't help but wonder perhaps that is how some of our cabinet ministers have avoided catastrophic accidents despite having receiv ed numerous traffic summonses for speeding .

I, for one, believe that strict adherence to traffic rules is paramount. Let's be proactive from now on in ensuring road safety. I wish the survivors a quick recovery.