GEORGE TOWN: The wreckage of an SUV that plunged into the sea here after it was involved in a crash on the Penang Bridge has been found.
Divers today found the wreckage at about 3pm near pillar number 34 of the bridge and as of press time, rescue personnel were attempting to raise the vehicle using a crane.
There was no confirmation on whether the driver, identified as Moey Yun Peng, 20, had been found, said state executive councillor Phee Boon Poh.
In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, a dashboard camera on another vehicle captured the SUV being involved in a high-speed collision with another car.
The impact of the crash caused the SUV to spin out of control and hit the guard rails on the bridge, before flipping over and plunging into the waters beneath, that is said to be about 15m deep.
The driver of the car is currently receiving treatment at the Seberang Jaya Hospital.
Central Seberang Prai district police chief Nik Ros Azhan Nik Abdul Hamid said a urine sample of the 21-year-old driver tested positive for ganja.
Investigations are ongoing to determine if the car and SUV drivers were racing prior to the accident, said Nik Ros Azhan.
According to statements provided to police by Moey’s friends and eyewitnesses, the private college student was on the way back to his home in Butterworth after attending a birthday party on the island.
The case is being investigated as “reckless driving” under Road Transport Act 1987.
Meanwhile, Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow has urged the relevant concession companies to review the effectiveness of the guard rails on the Penang Bridge and the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge to prevent similar incidents.
He said the existing guard rails were probably not high enough to prevent vehicles from plunging into the sea.
“In order to stop such incidents from recurring, it is very important for the authorities to review the specifications and standards of the guard rails to reduce the risks faced by bridge users.
“Perhaps it is sufficient to prevent ‘normal’ accidents but the crash recently (involved) a high impact, which may prove the guard rails were incapable of preventing vehicles from plunging into the sea,“ he said.
He told reporters after launching a road safety advocates programme for the upcoming Chinese New Year, “Drive Safe With Us”, for Bagan Jermal constituency here.
He was commenting on the incident where a sports utility vehicle plunged into the sea at Km4 of the Penang Bridge towards Prai here at 2.54am yesterday.
Penang Road Safety Department (JKJR) director M. Thurkahthevi, who was also present, said the statistics of road accidents for the state as issued by the Royal Malaysian Police showed an increasing trend every year.
“In 2017, the number of reported accidents was 43,007 cases compared to 42,244 cases recorded in 2016, an increase of 763. While in 2018 the figure also showed an increase, but we have yet to receive the full data which will be updated in the near future,“ he said.
However, he added the death toll of road accidents showed a decrease in 2017, which was 401 deaths compared to 411 deaths recorded in 2016.
“Although the number of deaths was declining, the JKJR is proactively conducting road safety campaigns at all levels to achieve zero death annually.
“What has to be emphasised is for us to apply a safe driving attitude as 80% of the accidents were caused by reckless driving,“ he said.
