Many are questioning how Egged permitted Chaim Biton, the driver of the 402 bus that crashed and claimed six lives, was permitted back behind the wheel. Biton was already arraigned in the Jerusalem Traffic Court and his remand has been extended to prevent him from interfering in the police investigation into the fatal crash.
Police allege that Biton tried to tamper with the vehicle’s tachograph following the accident, which represents interfering with the investigation and tampering with evidence.
It has also been established that in the past Biton was involved in another serious accident on the same route, and passengers on his bus have often complained, describing him as being a “Wild”, “out of control” and “dangerous” driver, yet it appears all of the complaints fell on deaf ears as Egged placed him back behind the wheel of the very same bus route, the 402 from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv.
The head of the Bayit Yehudi faction in Knesset MK Menachem Eliezer Moses used the plenum to voice his outrage and demand that Egged be held accountable. He cited this horrific accident snuffed out six lives, left many injured, and destroyed many families.
Speaking in the plenum on Monday, 6 Adar I, Moses stated “We are still in a state of shock due to the terrible accident yesterday on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway that claimed six young lives, including a woman whose husband came to the levaya in a wheelchair.
“They wanted to celebrate their wedding anniversary in Bnei Brak but due to a light hand on the wheel, which I am about to explain to you, cut down her life instead as well as halted the future of several families like the Mamut family, in which the wife and mother was killed and their ben zekunim, their youngest son, is scheduled to get married on 7 Adar. Hence today we are a month before his scheduled chasenah”.
Moses sent his condolence wishes to the mourners as well as wishes for a refuah shleima to the injured. “The question remains how was this driver permitted to continue when just two years ago, on the very same 402 line, he was involved in a serious accident traveling from Bnei Brak to Jerusalem close to the location of his latest accident? In December 2013 his bus hit a truck and in that case B”H there were only 18 people injured lightly”.
Moses wants to know who will be held accountable in such cases. He wants to know how such horrific accidents occur and time and time again nothing is done and no one is held accountable. He reminded his fellow lawmakers that during the remand hearing for the driver of the bus the court learned he, the driver, tried to tamper with the tachograph. He feels that once and for all the matter must be addressed, those persons and organization that are responsible must be held accountable and the correct actions must be taken as a deterrence against such horrific accidents again in the future chas v’sholom.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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6 Responses
unfortunately, he’s not the only Egged bus driver who thinks he’s driving on the Indy 500.This is especially true in Jerusalem where there are many routes with windy and steep streets and the passengers have to hold on for dear life!
What needs to be done:
1. Name or number of driver displayed in each bus and a phone number at Egged that will actually answer and hear complaints.
2.Large fine against any driver who is reported as using a handheld cellphone while driving
3.Egged needs to place trip recorders on allbuses,whether the drivers want them or not!
4.Trucks should be required to have flares and a caution sign to place on road in case of breakdown.Again,large fines if this mandated equipment isn’t present
This is character assassination at it’s worst!
The poor man!
Bad enough he will have live with what happened , the public also now wishes to destroy his reputation?
Till a couple of days ago he was a well liked decent bus driver
(-by classic Egged standards),
now…
Bad enough he will have live with what happened , the public also now wishes to destroy his reputation?
Let the investigation proceed
Frum jews ought to be better than to smear, defame and indict by popular media
Rav Elyashiv zt”l was asked if it’s permissible to lodge a complaint against a taxi driver who wouldn’t activate the meter (a common occurrence in E.Y), who overcharges, or who otherwise does something he’s not allowed to do. The rav’s reply was if someone is “mazik the tzibbur” — he doesn’t get the protection of “the benefit of the doubt,” or “what will be with his parnassa?” One is indeed allowed to lodge a complaint against such an offender. This probably doesn’t mean we are allowed to smear his (already tarnished) reputation. But, in this particular tragedy, there are some extenuating circumstances and outstanding questions that the Israel police have already publicized. For instance, did the driver indeed tamper with the on-bus tachograph — something he did at his last traffic accident in Dec. 2013. Or, the larger issue of how did the Egged bus company allow this man to get behind the wheel of a bus again? Reporting what the various Israeli news media have already publicized is not “destroying his reputation.” Mr. Biton himself has already done that quite effectively.
I think it is also time for passengers to speak up. If a driver is driving recklessly, either too fast, or swerving from lane to lane, or is speaking on the phone – GET UP and speak to the driver. Tell him you will call the police if he does not slow down, or you will report him. It’s not easy to do this but we must let the drivers know they are accountable.
1. Excellent suggestions. Here’s another one: Make sure all buses are equipped with working safety belts and require passengers to use them. I strongly suspect that if passengers had been properly belted in during that accident lives might have been saved and injuries reduced, if not prevented. They may be needed only once in 10,000 times, but it’s worth using them all the other times just in case, because they can make a very big difference. A lot of Egged buses don’t have them, almost all buses of other companies do.