• The Penang Chief Minister has urged the Penang Bridge and Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah (second bridge) concessionaires to review the safety standards of their guardrails.

• An SUV went over the guardrails at the Penang Bridge and into the sea after being hit by another vehicle on 20^thJanuary.

• It was the fifth case of vehicles and a motorcyclist who plunged off the bridge.

The Penang Chief Minister is urging the Penang Bridge and Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah concessionaires to review the safety standards of their guardrails, following a highly publicized accident.

An SUV went over the guardrails at the Penang Bridge and into the sea after being hit by another vehicle on 20^thJanuary. The subsequent recovery effort has grabbed the attention of the entire nation. The wreckage of the SUV and its occupant, a 20-year-old college student, has been located last night (21^stJanuary).

It was not the first accident which saw a vehicle crashing into the sea, by far. There were four other cases stretching back to 2010.

20^thSeptember 2010

A young married couple’s MPV hit a metal railing, send the vehicle off the bridge.

1^stNovember 2012

An accounting clerk’s vehicle hit a barrier, sending the car into the sea at kilometer-7.4 on the Penang island-bound side.

30^thOctober 2015

A motorcyclist was thrown over the bridge after his motorcycle scraped against another at kilometer-1.4., island-bound. Fortunately, he only suffered minor injuries as he landed in soft mud.

12^thNovember 2015

A driver lost control of his car before plunging into the sea at kilometer-0.6, Prai-bound.

20^thJanuary 2019

The latest case in which an SUV rolled and hopped over the barrier.

Although there was only one case involving a motorcyclist, steps should have been taken earlier. The view from the two Penang bridges are spectacular but one cannot deny how low the present barriers are. On the other hand, shutting the view off entirely would not sit well, either.

However, there is another dark side which we should consider: Suicides. There’ve been a number of cases of people jumping off the bridges to commit suicide. In fact, one attempt had occurred this morning off the second bridge while the recovery efforts of the SUV were still ongoing.

But we have always questioned why always act after tragedies? Why are our authorities so myopic? That is not the only problem. As we mentioned in another article, enforcement only goes on for about 3 months then everyone goes back to breaking the law.

Let’s hope something is done this time.