One of the most disheartening and unfortunate morning NEWS that hit the headlines today is “Death of 13 school students while their school bus collided with a train at an unmanned crossing in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar” It has been learnt that the driver could not hear the sound of the passenger train as he had ear phones plugged in while driving the vehicle, according to media reports.
This incident could have been avoided. The biggest question is whose mistake it was?
Probably everyone played a role here. But the plight and pain of parents who lost their kids in this incident is inexplicable. What about the fear of those parents who send their kids to school considering they are safe. Answers to such questions related to safety of school kids while traveling with school cabs should not be looked upon after such mishaps occur but there must be some strict norms to be followed at all levels to ensure the safety of India’s bright future:-
1. What Schools Needs to Ensure: It’s the tech era. The schools should adopt technology to ensure kids safety while commuting in school buses. There are fleet management devices to track driver behavior, monitoring bus movement, which can SMS alert after pick-up/ dropping-off the students in schools/ bus-stops and with many more such features. Getting driver verification done is not the only parameter for safety of school kids commuting through school buses. Strict actions should be taken by school administration on reckoning any slip-up by drivers.
2. Traffic Police Responsibility: Traffic police should be present on all such unmanned crossings to strictly regulate the traffic norms.
3. Railways Approach: India is moving towards Bullet Trains and there are still unmanned crossings. Railways should upgrade themselves especially when such crossings are near schools where small kids cross them every day.
4. Parents Alertness Required: Parents should complain to school authorities on noticing any wrong driving behavior or lack of discipline in driver and should not send their kids on vehicle where kids are put like luggage overloaded with maximum capacity. If during any pick-up of kids any of the parent would have objected the driver on using ear-phones while driving or would have spoken to school authority to take action on such indiscipline this could have been avoided.
The loss is irreparable and our deep condolences are with parents who lost their kids in this unfortunate accident. Hope, strict actions will be taken by taking lessons from this incident and we will not hear any such mishaps in future.
Written By:
Swapnil Saxena
This incident could have been avoided. The biggest question is whose mistake it was?
- The school administration who let the school bus drivers do such reckless driving and do not monitor their driving behavior?
- The traffic police who is not there at duty on such early hours’ time to take strict actions on irresponsible driving to avoid such incidences?
- Railways who runs unmanned rail crossing on path of school?
- Parents who let their kids board the school buses even if they are overloaded and let the irresponsible behavior of drivers like using earphones while driving unnoticed?
Probably everyone played a role here. But the plight and pain of parents who lost their kids in this incident is inexplicable. What about the fear of those parents who send their kids to school considering they are safe. Answers to such questions related to safety of school kids while traveling with school cabs should not be looked upon after such mishaps occur but there must be some strict norms to be followed at all levels to ensure the safety of India’s bright future:-
1. What Schools Needs to Ensure: It’s the tech era. The schools should adopt technology to ensure kids safety while commuting in school buses. There are fleet management devices to track driver behavior, monitoring bus movement, which can SMS alert after pick-up/ dropping-off the students in schools/ bus-stops and with many more such features. Getting driver verification done is not the only parameter for safety of school kids commuting through school buses. Strict actions should be taken by school administration on reckoning any slip-up by drivers.
2. Traffic Police Responsibility: Traffic police should be present on all such unmanned crossings to strictly regulate the traffic norms.
3. Railways Approach: India is moving towards Bullet Trains and there are still unmanned crossings. Railways should upgrade themselves especially when such crossings are near schools where small kids cross them every day.
4. Parents Alertness Required: Parents should complain to school authorities on noticing any wrong driving behavior or lack of discipline in driver and should not send their kids on vehicle where kids are put like luggage overloaded with maximum capacity. If during any pick-up of kids any of the parent would have objected the driver on using ear-phones while driving or would have spoken to school authority to take action on such indiscipline this could have been avoided.
The loss is irreparable and our deep condolences are with parents who lost their kids in this unfortunate accident. Hope, strict actions will be taken by taking lessons from this incident and we will not hear any such mishaps in future.
Written By:
Swapnil Saxena
