Totally preventable

Surprise, surprise, another deadly accident involving a public utility passenger bus! So what else is new? Last Wednesday, a Valisno Express bus rammed into a concrete arch marking the boundary between Quezon City and Caloocan. The bus was on its way to Bulacan when the accident happened. Two passengers immediately died while two died at the hospital where they were being treated. At least eighteen passengers were injured. The driver fled the scene after the accident. Again, what else is new?

According to passengers who survived the accident, the driver was speeding. While negotiating a curve on the road, the driver lost control of the bus, causing its right side to ram the concrete arch. Passengers seated at this section bore the brunt of the crash. There are reports that a passenger was teasing the driver for driving slow, which prompted the driver to "save face" and start driving fast. If this is true, then all the more reason to ban this driver for life. Anyone with a smidgeon of common sense would not drive at all, heavy vehicle fast while negotiating a curve, and especially not on a dare. But then again, where do drivers like this come from anyway? I am just glad he was arrested.

Looking at the photo of the destroyed bus, it is evident that no structural strength was designed into the vehicle. It is essentially a rolling chassis with a cardboard body. The passengers seated at the right side of the bus had no chance at all. Perhaps the concerned agencies should forbid passengers to sit at this portion of buses that are built flimsily. The fact that drivers would swerve to save themselves also make this area deadly. 

The LTFRB has imposed a preventive suspension on the company for sixty days. All sixty-two of their units are grounded, leaving around three hundred employees without work for two months. All their buses must undergo a roadworthiness inspection, and their drivers attend road safety seminars. If they want someone to blame, blame their fellow driver for being irresponsible. Why drivers like these are even allowed to operate buses is beyond me. There must be a minimum amount of common sense in a person to become a driver.

I also wish that roadworthiness inspections and road safety seminars be done on a regular, but unannounced basis, not after deadly accidents such as this one.

If a driver is seen as irresponsible and without common sense, fire him immediately. Public utility companies are responsible for the safety of their passengers, so they should not hire drivers with questionable gray matter. But it seems in this country, there is a prevalence of idiots allowed to operate passenger vessels, be it buses, jeepneys, taxis, tricycles and even boats, ships and ferries. Government agencies must be stricter in issuing licenses to these operators. Otherwise, we will just have to wait for another deadly, but totally preventable accident.