BHOPAL: Over 20 school children died and three dozen were injured in a tragic road accident on Thursday morning in Etah district of Uttar Pradesh. The accident took place in Aliganj town, where a private school bus collided head-on with a speeding truck. And this is not an isolated case. We routinely hear and read about accidents involving school buses. Accidents can and do happen but the million dollar question is whether our educational institutions and government draw appropriate lessons from these incidents. Free Press Journal spoke to some city parents to know whether they feel that their children are safe when they travel by buses to and from schools.
Krishna Pal Singh, Law Graduate and Realtor
My son is in grade 11 in IPS School, Hoshagabad Road and my house is about 4 km from the school on the same road. He goes to school by bus. The entire route is on the national highway, with fast-moving traffic. I think buses are the safest-possible mode of travel for the children. But some precautions need to taken. I have seen that most of the drivers are young men, who have little or no experience of driving buses. The school managements should employ only experienced drivers. The buses should have speed governors and sufficient time should be given to the drivers to reach the kids to the schools so that they do not tend to over-speed. The school managements should ensure that there is at least one teacher in each bus so that the children can be kept under control. In winters, especially in foggy mornings, the drivers must be asked to drive with their headlights on.
Mamta Sharma, Homemaker
Since I have heard about the UP accident, I am very disturbed. Just imagine little kids being crushed to death. It is horrible. I cannot bear to think what their parents must be going through. My son Babu studies in Campion School, Arera Colony and the bus reaches my house from the school in just 10 minutes! That would give you an idea of how fast he must be driving. The other day, I went to drop my daughter Mayukhi, who is in Carmel Convent, BHEL at the bus stop and found that the conductor did not close the door of the bus after the children had boarded the bus. Isn’t it dangerous? What if the driver applies brakes suddenly and children sitting near the door are thrown out? And why don’t the school authorities give ample time to the drivers? They always seem to be in a hurry.
Sneha Upadhyay, Beautician
Not, not at all. I don’t feel safe. In fact I feel very insecure. I have two daughters. My elder daughter is in class 11 and the younger one is in class 6. Since I’m a single parent, so I can’t drop and receive them at the bus stop every time but I’m always worried till they reach home safely. Our government doesn’t take anything seriously until it grabs headlines in the newspapers. Sometimes they take corrective action after a major incident but soon everything is back to square one. Our children are our life. They should employ drivers who do not drink. And preferably, they should employ female drivers.
Janvi Devlani, Beautician
Yes, I feel insecure to see rash driving of school bus drivers. Their seating arrangement is also not good. My only daughter studies in class five. I have no complaints from the school but I think the seating arrangement in school buses should be proper. They should always seat kids far away from the door and should remain closed. Also, driver should drive slowly for keeping children safe and secure.
Pinky Verma, Homemaker
Yes, I feel very insecure until they reach home safely. I have three children and all go to school by van. I think if drivers take precautions accidents can be avoided. Drivers shouldn’t talk on phone while driving and also they should not scold children if they are doing some masti.
