skidded...

i think i had this kind of problem when im go to perak last month...

I am a frequent user of our North-South Expressway and I have this

IMPORTANT experience to highlight and share:-



I was driving back to Penang yesterday afternoon (24 June 08) when I saw

the unfortunate accident in the opposite direction involving the

passenger bus that skidded and overturned at Tanjung Malim. I didn't

know that the skidded bus was from hometown Penang until I watched TV3

news later in the evening and was shocked to learn that the accident

took two lives.



Now, this is what I need to share:-



I am a building contractor with over twenty years of experience and I

have been driving my 5 series BMW (latest generation and a dammed solid

road holding car) each time I travelled to KL. Lately, the new extended

3 lanes highway had been opened up for use and since then, I have also

been using it quite oftenly.



HOWEVER, when I used it each time it is WET, I can really 'feel' that

the new road surface is extremely SLIPPERY! To share with some of you,

my car comes with a built-in traction control mechanism (skidding

prevention

mechanism) and you can feel it each time it is activated. Previously, I

don't come across this kind of slippery feel except when I drive over a

paddle of water at certain speed.



From my observation as a building contractor, the 'wearing course' of

the new road surface could be TOO FINE OR TOO SMOOTH and TOTALLY

UNSUITABLE for highway use!

The wearing course (top premix layer) mix design for highways should be

of minimum 20mm coarse aggregate mix that will give us the required bond

between the surface and our tires. Fine wearing course (14mm coarse

aggregate size and below) is only suitable for normal road. (A proper

test need to be carried out to determine the mix design of the wearing

course).



Since the opening of the three lanes highway, I had seen cars skidding

in front me or in the opposite direction and approximately 2 weeks ago,

one of my friends who is also a frequent user of our NSE, came to share

with me about his slippery feeling as well as the many skidded cars he

had seen lately. (by Jensen Yeoh, Penang)

so, carefull when driving a long the way on NSE...