Most people get on a bus and feel safe, its size, surrounded by steel and upholstery, giving the passenger a feeling of safety, perhaps a false sense of security.
According to government officials, buses in Israel are involved in more accidents than any other class of four-wheel-or-more vehicles, including cars, taxis, ambulances, and trucks.
There are 13,000 buses in Israel and in 2008 alone; there have been 574 serious accidents, some involving fatalities. That number Transportation Ministry officials explain is proportionately about six times higher than other four wheel vehicles.
33 people died in bus-related accidents in 2008, significantly higher than 2007, in which 16 died the entire year. (The figure 33 for 2008 does not include the fatalities in Tuesday’s accident).
One of the major questions being raised following the latest fatal accident is why no agency seems to enforce the law. Buses traveling inter-city routes are required to have seat belts for every passenger. This one did not. Even at this early stage of the investigation, experts report that if the passengers were belted in, lives would have been saved since most of the people were thrown from the vehicle as it flipped over repeatedly down into the ravine.
SOME OTHER MAJOR BUS ACCIDENTS INVOLVING FATALITIES
October 9, 1999: 54 singles went on a day trip in the Golan Heights area, using the Jack Yuzlari Bus Company. The bus turned left at Golani Junction at about 10:45am and shortly thereafter, the driver lost control and the vehicle went off the road into a ravine. 17 passengers were killed.
July 2004: A bus carrying students from the Bet Chinuch School in Moshav Bet Yitzchak crashed into an IDF jeep near Kfar Yona Junction. The bus flipped over into incoming traffic and three students were killed. 50 others were injured.
June 11, 1985: A train collided with a school bus carrying students from the Brenner School in Petach Tikvah. 19 students who were on a northern area school trip were killed and three adults, the teacher, a parent and the driver.
In all the cases listed above, and it appears this was the case on Tuesday near Eilat; human error was the cause, not road conditions or mechanical failure.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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5 Responses
Tragically, not a suprise. Israel seems to have the worst record of unsafe driving. More tragic than the terrorism, I’ve been told.
I do wonder how many of these accidents, injured and dead were on Egged buses and how many were on other, smaller companies.
As far as I know, Egged has very strict selection procedures for intercity bus drivers. Drivers are only allowed to drive intercity buses after having driven city buses for quite a while, and are first given a very thorough training and medical checks. I heard that they even get courses in firearms and defensive driving.
I usually try to sit directly behind the driver and have witnessed quite a few very close calls which almost resulted in disaster – yet each and every time, the driver immediately reacted and kept the bus under control. For example, once a car right in front of the bus suddenly braked very strongly, on Highway 1 next to the airport at 00:30 AM. The bus driver hit the brakes barely half a second after this car driver, before I (who was also paying attention) could even grab something to hold on to. I’ve had quite a few such experiences through the years.
When I take a bus in Israel, it’s just city buses or Egged. I don’t even take any of those chareidi tours to kivrei tzaddikim in the north: just give me line 982 and I’ll manage from there. I don’t feel safe on anything other than Egged.
Most drivers in Israel think they are driving tanks.
Almost 95% of the drivers tailgate – on the highway, at 120kmh. And by tailgating, I mean one or two car lengths (and they ARE small cars). These people are crazy! They make NY taxi drivers seem to be the safest drivers in the world.
I’ve driven in midtown Manhattan in rush hour, on13th Avenue in Boro Park on a Sunday.
And, nthing compares to the drivers in Israel. Theyfeel that they own the road, and all other drivers are slow or stupid.
In all the years I am in Israel, I am afraid to get behind a wheel. I took the test, passed right away; and have NEVER used my license since.
It’s mamish a real rachmunis…..you think that it is safe to take a bus in Eretz Yisroel….nope…..many bus drivers are always rushing as if they were going to be the first ones to greet Melech HaMoshiach the rate they drive…..parents please tell your children to be extremly careful when going on buses…..they should be saying Tefillahs HaDerech…..really its mamish a sakana…..the safest bet is to just walk, or possibly to take a taxi…..the taxi drivers are safer drivers at times than the bus drivers…..either way you travel, try to say a little Tehillim…..and stay safe…. : )
#2 in agreement, always find they are super defensive drivers and in high control.