Human factors such as drivers’ attitude and driving habits have been identified as the main causes of accidents involving lorries and buses on highways, according to PLUS Malaysia Bhd.

Its Traffic Safety Department general manager Zakaria Shaffie pinpointed  overspeeding, dozing off, fatigue as well as improper vehicle maintenance as the main reasons behind accidents involving heavy vehicles on PLUS-run highways.

In a statement, he said that PLUS’ records showed that lorries made up seven percent of the total number of vehicles plying its highways between 2007 and August 2012.

“However, lorries contributed 18.2 percent of the total 52,585 accidents on PLUS highways during the same period,” he said.

Zakaria also noted that buses comprised 1.7 percent of the total number of vehicles on PLUS highways between the said period, and contributed 2.2 percent in terms of the total number of accidents.

The statement said that about 4,000 heavy vehicle drivers and operators had attended PLUS’ ‘Respect Your Limits’ safety seminars since 2008 in a bid to educate those involved on the importance of respecting their physical limitations and those of their vehicles.

- Bernama