Speeding and badly maintained roads were the main causes of a school bus accident on a rainy day in Taipei last year that severely injured two people and left 22 with minor injuries, the Taiwan Transportation and Safety Board said.
On March 11 last year, a Kang Chiao International School bus overturned inside the Wenshan Tunnel (文山隧道) on the northbound lane of the Xinyi Expressway.
The tour bus, owned by Long Lai Co, exceeded the speed limit after entering the tunnel, the board’s investigation found.
Photo copied by Su Chin-feng, Taipei Times
Sensing that the rear of the vehicle was swaying, the driver attempted to use the service and exhaust brakes to slow down the vehicle on the slippery road, the board said.
At one point, the driver made four steering adjustments in six seconds, with the steering angle increasing with each maneuver, it said.
The driver eventually lost control of the bus and crashed into the tunnel wall before the vehicle overturned, it said.
The board said it also found that the pavement of the northbound lane was severely worn due to heavy traffic.
“The pavement had never been maintained since the tunnel opened in 2005. Its skid resistance was degraded, which increased driving risks,” the board said.
The contractor hired to inspect the road failed to record the issue and misclassified cracking distress in the lane due to rigid pavement as alligator cracking, a distress typical of flexible pavement, it said.
As the driver did not require all passengers to fasten their seatbelts, at least 17 people were not wearing seatbelts when the accident occurred, it said.
After the incident, the driver could not ascertain the number of passengers on board and failed to guide them to a safe location, it added.
The bus company’s procedures for handling traffic incidents did not indicate steps that drivers should take to evacuate and regroup passengers in emergency situations, and the management guidebook for the bus did not include emergency evacuation procedures, the board said.
Some students were unfamiliar with the evacuation procedures and failed to participate in a safety drill held at the beginning of every semester, it said.
Long Lai failed to keep a detailed record of drivers’ alcohol tests, while school administrators and motor vehicle offices did not ask to examine those records, it said.
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