7 car pile-up halts Monday morning traffic in Jerudong

A SEVEN-car pile-up caused Monday morning traffic to grind to a halt along the Jerudong section of the Belait-Muara highway yesterday as commuters made their way to work after the weekend.

It was bumper-to-bumper for several kilometres along the motorway and a long queue had also built up on the way to the on-ramp from Jalan Jerudong.

It was about 7.45am when an unidentified vehicle cut into the right lane without warning, surprising the driver immediately behind it and thus causing a chain reaction of seven cars braking into one another, one of the drivers involved told The Brunei Times.

"A car cut into the right lane all of a sudden. That car got away but we (the cars behind it) got hit. The driver at the front couldn't make the licence plate of the car that caused all this," she said, asking not to be named.

Some of the cars involved in the accident were carrying families, but fortunately no one was hurt in the incident, according to a few of the drivers. Their cars incurred minimal damage, as they managed to brake just enough to prevent the accident from becoming into a serious one.

Police arrived not long after the accident took place, say eyewitnesses from across the scene of the accident at the parking lot of Bukit Shahbandar.

By that time, the traffic heading towards Bandar Seri Begawan had already backed up from the Jerudong turn-off point.

The police were dispatched to direct traffic and relieve congestion, but curious motorists were still seen slowing down to get a closer look at the accident.

Some motorists expressed their distaste for getting stuck in such traffic jams during rush hour.

"I hate it when this happens, but what can we do? We just have to be patient and wait it out," said Mohd Afiq, a commuter from Belait District on his way to work in the capital.

Twenty-seven-year-old Misha L said: "The line (of cars) seems like forever. I'm sure there are a lot of angry drivers out there."

Despite the long queues, the authorities managed to move the affected cars to the side of the road and the jam began to ease by 9am.

The Brunei Times