ho can one blame for the horrific accident involving a passenger bus and an oil tanker on the Multan-Sukkur motorway? The by and large inappropriate response to this tragic incident so far is a big worrying sign. While condolences were offered by high officials and some general statements made by the administration and the Motorway Police about the accident and the likely factors behind the catastrophe, that was about it. There has been no formal announcement by the officials about holding a full-fledged inquiry regarding this avoidable crash in which a Karachi-bound passenger bus smashed into an oil tanker on Tuesday, and caught fire within minutes due to chemical leaking out of the truck’s storage tank. 20 of the 26 passengers and crew members were then burnt alive. The fact that these people perished in such helplessness is something to think about.

One did not find many posts on major social media platforms highlighting this horrible accident. One top tweet on Twitter about the incident expressed utter shock over the incident. Osama wrote: “Why is no one talking about the horrific Daewoo accident on the motorway this morning? Daewoo has consistently been a failure in terms of facilities and comfort they provide to customers but now the error of their driver has taken 20 lives. Regulatory authorities should look into this matter.”

In most newspapers, the accident was reported in one to three columns. Some newspapers did not even bother publishing the news prominently.

Such dreadful incidents require true soul-searching. A similar disaster is indeed waiting to happen otherwise. We must not act as silent spectators.

Whatever risk factors we count for the awful tragedy relate to a disregard of road safety guidelines in some way or the other. The accident was avoidable if the bus management, the staff and departments concerned had adhered to standard safety guidelines regulating vehicular traffic. The simplest reason instantly indicated by the officials has been the dozing-off of the driver, who also, unfortunately, died in the fatal crash.

The tragic accident was not an aberration. A web search by this scribe came up with news of dozens of bus accidents over the last three years on various arteries of the motorway network. It did not reveal the outcome of any inquiry relating to circumstances leading to the particular accidents nor any information regarding any disciplinary action or judicial scrutiny of the accidents. I don’t know whether the Motorway Police pursued any FIR in this connection or not.

It is no longer a matter of mere road safety regulations. In fact, it has now become an issue of road security or transport-security. Frequent road emergencies have shown that high-speed roadways are not being regulated in accordance with the standard operating procedures.

The authorities must ensure computer-assisted analysis of every accident, installation of dash-cam on each passenger bus and mandatory issuance of fitness certificate… in addition to putting in place speed and sleep check tools. 

When we look into the sickening accident on M-5, one of the biggest shortcomings was not following the rule about giving proper rest to the driver. Did the police check this when like every passenger vehicle, the ill-fated bus was stopped for mandatory video-graphy? What about compliance on part of the bus company in this regard? There should be a complete ban on the use of smart phones by bus staff as these disorient the drivers and deprive them of sleep. There should also be a verifiable log strictly making them rest as per protocol.

The modified busses having sleeper cells on both rows should also be minutely scrutinised. Apparently, these double-decker cells cover all side windows so that there is no emergency exit in these buses. If that is true, then the passengers were trapped after the accident as both the main door and the opposite side door were rendered dysfunctional due to the impact of the bus hitting the oil tanker head-on. The highly inflammable interior of the bus including piles of foam would have spread the fire in no time.

One of the injured passengers has said that he managed to escape through the broken front screen.

To ensure the safety of all passengers on a bus, the annual inspection of these vehicles must be a thorough exercise. No vehicle should be allowed to ply on a motorway if such certification is not obtained.

One of the disturbing aspects of this sleeper bus was a lack of seat belts. Unfortunately, the fastening of seat belts has not been a regular practice in other busses too. In most cases, even an announcement is not made at the start of the journey about fastening belts. Previously, hostesses used to ensure that every passenger fastened the seat belt.

It is alarming that there are no functional seat belts in many buses. During my last journey from Lahore to Faisalabad, I had an argument with the hostess about faulty seat belts. In fact, while there were belts, there was nothing to hook those with the seats. The strap were therefore a mere eyewash. Apparently the bus managements save some money by not installing a whole set of seat belts. The relevant authorities should refuse to act as silent spectators.

Complaints about out-of-order air conditioners in busses are a routine. Safety measures like fastening of seat belts and functional and accessible emergency exits seem like a luxury.

Other steps to improve security might include increasing patrolling frequency by Motorway Police to preempt such accidents through vigilant monitoring and prompt action where required. The authorities must ensure computer-assisted analysis of every accident, installation of dash-cam on each passenger bus, mandatory issuance of fitness certificate , including engine worthiness and be strict on safety standards. Additionally there should be speed and sleep check tools.

We need to put world-class safety guidelines in place in letter and spirit for regulating state-of-the-art motorways.

The writer is a senior   vreporter at The News