By CY Ming
The driver of the express bus which landed on its side at Km251.9 of the North-South Expressway claimed he swerved hard to avoid a dog. Earlier reports stated it was a wild animal.
If indeed there was an animal, the driver, while trying to avoid hitting it should not swerve violently. A bus would just roll over an animal the size of a dog and be none the worse for it, carrying on with its journey uninterrupted.
If the driver had practised defensive driving, the bus would not have crashed and resulted in one death and severe injuries to several passengers.
On the morning of Mar 28, the 39-year-old driver was charged at the Jawi magistrate court under Section 41(1) of the Road Transport Act 1987 for causing death by dangerous driving.
When I drove from Perth to Sydney, I noticed the highway was littered with roadkill as there are many animals in the outback. I also encountered sandstorms and a herd of wild camels blocking the road, but I did not roll over any animal, although at times hitting 160kph.
In the recent accident that occurred, the superstructure of the express bus was not tested as it did not collide with any object or overturn, merely landing on its side. But the bus came to a sudden halt, turning passengers in the bus into human missiles.
Sadly, the passenger who died was seated near the back row and was flung to the front. It is necessary that seat belts be installed in all express buses and passengers ordered to wear them throughout the journey.
It is equally important for seats to be properly anchored to the floor. Some of the seats in the express bus broke loose and rescue personnel had to extricate the injured that were pinned down by the seats.
Another danger which has often been overlooked is luggage in the passenger compartment. Forty years ago, a crew member of an airline suffered a broken neck when struck by a piece of luggage piled high at the back of a bus that was transporting its passengers.
Many buses in the early days did not have a luggage compartment beneath the floorboards, and suitcases were normally loaded into the bus via the rear emergency door. After the tragic incident, the airline insisted that all its bus transport providers use safety nets to harness the baggage.
Another area which has been overlooked by the authorities, coach builders and bus operators is the design of overhead racks, which are safe if they can be closed with a lid like those found in aircrafts.
Oversized and heavy luggage place in overhead racks can fall on passengers should the driver swerve to avoid a collision. Is it the standard practice of bus drivers to ensure that all overhead luggage is secured in place and passengers fastened with seat belts before commencing on a journey?
Can this be done by our express bus drivers as most do not even bother to acknowledge the presence of their passengers by offering a smile before embarking on a long journey.
CY Ming is an FMT reader.
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