SEREMBAN: Police honoured a man with a certificate of appreciation for his quick thinking when he alerted a lorry driver about a loose tyre.
Kamarul Ekhshan Abdul Ghani, 46, a mechanic, had tried to overtake the lorry three times.
On his fourth attempt, he leaned out of his car window, shouting and pointing at the loose tyre.
Recalling the events of Oct 5, Kamarul Ekhshan said he was travelling from Seremban to Johor that day to repair a customer's vehicle when he noticed a lorry attempting to overtake a car in front of him.
"I gave way. Then I saw one of the lorry's right tyre wobbling. I tried to overtake the lorry three times to get it to stop, but was unsuccessful.
"On the fourth try, I shouted and pointed at the tyre. That's when the driver started to slow down and eventually stop," he said at the award ceremony today.
The event was officiated by Bukit Aman Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department director Datuk Seri Mohd Yusri Hassan Basri.
Present was Negri Sembilan police chief Datuk Ahmad Dzaffir Mohd Yussof.
Kamarul Ekhshan, a father of two, said he did not share the video of the incident to gain fame, but to raise awareness and encourage social responsibility.
He said the video was uploaded in October and reached 400,000 views at the time.
It gained attention again after seven people died in an accident caused by a detached lorry tyre on the North-South Expressway last Monday.
Asked what made him decide to stop the lorry, Kamarul Ekhshan said he did it because he was worried the tyre would detach from the lorry and cause a fatal accident.
"If the tyre had detached, it could have hit anything. It could have rolled into the opposite lane."
Yusri commended members of the public who use social media to share video clips that have a positive impact and provide useful information to authorities.
"The Traffic Enforcement and Investigation Department and the entire force thank road users who act bravely and responsibly to ensure safety on the roads.
"Drivers also have a responsibility to ensure that their vehicles are in safe condition."