Last Saturday, a tragic accident occurred at the Bukit Kajang Toll Plaza involving a lorry and three vehicles. The collision injured eight civilians, while a one-year-old boy tragically died after being thrown from a vehicle due to the impact.
The lorry driver has since been arrested. He admitted to jumping out of the vehicle, claiming a brake malfunction before the lorry collided with the other vehicles at the toll plaza.
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Transport Minister Anthony Loke issued a statement saying the toddler was thrown from the car and killed because he had not been placed in a child car seat.
“This is not about blaming the parents or victims, but a reminder to everyone. When the Transport Ministry mandates and encourages the use of child seats, many complain. But when incidents like this occur, it proves their importance.
"Imagine if the child had been placed in a car seat, there’s a strong possibility he wouldn’t have been thrown from the car, and his life could’ve been saved,” Loke said, as reported by Harian Metro.
In addition to stressing the importance of child car seats, Loke also highlighted the need for regular maintenance of heavy vehicles such as lorries and buses.
Malaysians are not happy
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Loke’s statement about the child car seat struck a nerve with many Malaysians, who called the minister insensitive and accused him of victim-blaming.
“Although what he said is partly true, I didn’t expect those words to come from a minister when a victim had just lost a child. There’s no empathy or sympathy at all.”
“Even with a child car seat, if the car was that badly damaged, do you think a child would’ve survived? The real issue is lorries not being serviced on time. There’s also no enforcement by the authorities," said a user.
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Another commented, “How could you blame the child’s parents? The lorry was in the fast lane. The driver knew the tire had burst, so why did he jump out? He could’ve steered toward the hills but chose to save himself. As a driver, he should be held responsible. A life was lost.”
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Featured Image Credit: Malay Mail, Scoop, FMT
