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Yesterday, the Ministry of Transport took out expensive wrap-around advertisements in several newspapers, reminding road users of road safety ahead of the festive seasons.

Yesterday, friends of Lee Nian Ning, a medical student who died in a bus accident on January 25, unveiled an online petition in memory of her, who came from Taman Glugor, Penang.

Ironically, the target of the petition is the Ministry of Transport. They are seeking your signatures for a petition on express bus safety that they will send to the Transport Ministry after Chinese New Year.

Nian Ning's friends write:

To: Ministry of Transportation, Malaysia

We, the concerned youths of Malaysia express appalled anger towards the Slim River Bus Crash incident that claimed the life of Lee Nian Ning and two others on the 25th of January 2008. This is not the first time that such an incident has occurred. Despite numerous complaints and public uproar in the past, incidents like this continue to occur. It was reported that the driver’s company had 13 summonses on that bus itself. We find it unacceptable that such a company could have operated that vehicle on the road.

What are the explanations?

Hundreds of thousands of university students just like Nian Ning and us rely on such public transport to travel back home. Human life should not be taken lightly.

How could a vehicle with 13 summonses be free on the roads and not held by the authorities?

We, the following, hereby demand that the relevant authorities take immediate solid actions in ensuring that mistakes like this do not occur again in the future.

Nian Ning's friends have also started a blog to sustain the issue, that the Road Transport Department (JPJ) should buck up in weeding out hell drivers who run the buses. It's available on http:// www.buscrashnomore.blogspot.com.

I thank Nian Ning's friends for seeking my input on their online campaign. I salute your noble efforts.

When bus crashes go rampant due to bad commercial drivers, the students are likely to suffer as they can't afford AirAsia to travel. Hence, the online petition and the blog carry the message: "If this happened to her (Nian Ning), it can happen to you!". You kids could be next.

We lost a brilliant girl. Nian Ning, 21, a Public Service Department (PSD) scholar at the University of New South Wales in Australia. She was a blogger who wrote two blogs.

She scored straight As in both the UPSR and PMR and obtained 11A1s and one A2 in the SPM exams.

On that fateful day, she was on her way to visit friends in Kuala Lumpur, was among three passengers who were killed when the driver lost control of the bus and crashed near Slim River.

In the aftermath of Nian Ning's tragedy, the authorities had found out from their records that bus driver was never issued with a warrant of arrest despite making 13 traffic offences.