On April 7, a lorry again banged into the toll station at the Jelapang toll plaza along the Plus highway. This was most probably due to brake failure. I, as an engineer, can no longer stand these accidents. The latest incident is, I believe, the 10th of its kind. I have thought up a few solutions for this type of accidents.

One is that while a fully-loaded lorry is moving down the slope, it should stop periodically for about five minute every 500m or so to cool down the brake system as well as the gear system. Drivers may splash water on the heated parts for quicker cooling

Plus should put signboard teaching lorry drivers of the above while transport companies should undertake to educate their drivers on the matter. A one-month campaign could launched at the Jelapang toll plaza to popularise this safety-conscious technique.

When a fully-loaded lorry (say of about 20 tons) is coming down a long, steep slope (of about two kilometres long), potential energy is continuously converted into heat energy when the driver tries to slow down the lorry by braking and by engaging a low gear.

Thus, the continuos heating up of the brake and gear parts may overheat the system. That`s why I suggest they stop intermittently along the emergency lane to allow the brake and gear system to cool down. This will help avoid over-heating and thus accidents.

Other solutions may be to construct trenches filled with sand (at least two feet deep) beside the emergency lanes so that a lorry with brake failure may drive into the sand trench to stop itself.

Another solution is to set up a 'catching net' so that a lorry with failed brakes will drive itself into the net which is anchored by tons of cement blocks. Yet another solution is to puncture the tyres of runaway lorries via a retractable spiked platform set up by Plus at special locations about 200 metres before the Jelapang toll plaza.

Compared to the others, the suggestion for the lorry drivers to stop for short periods in the most cost-effective as nothing has to be bought or built. It only involves driver education.