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| A petition filed on the Cheong Wa Dae website urges tougher regulations on reckless bus driving. / Captured from Cheong Wa Dae website |
By Bahk Eun-ji
Calls are growing for tougher regulations on reckless city bus drivers and better education on driving safely, following several accidents that have left passengers dead or severely injured, including being paralyzed.
The reaction follows several incidents in which passengers died or were paralyzed due to either reckless driving or a failure to observe safety rules by city bus drivers.
A petition was filed on the Cheong Wa Dae website, Thursday, calling for a revision to related laws on bus driving safety, and as of Sunday has attracted more than 11,000 signatures.
The petitioner, who identified himself as being in his 20s, said a city bus accelerated as soon as he boarded, throwing off balance and leaving him severely bruised as he was unable to grab an overhead strap.
"Most bus drivers seem to drive without considering the safety of their passengers. They accelerate suddenly, stop abruptly and press the close button to shut doors even before passengers have got off," he wrote.
He then mentioned two accidents involving buses. In December 2019, a high school student in Jinju, South Gyeongsang Province, got on a bus. As soon as the passenger boarded, the vehicle suddenly accelerated, only to come to a screeching halt after being cut off by another vehicle. The student fell on the bus floor and broke their neck leaving them paralyzed.
In another case in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, Jan. 19, a female passenger in her 20s died after part of her coat arm got stuck in the back door of a bus when she was getting off. By the time rescue workers arrived, the woman had already died at the scene after the bus had driven off dragging her along and then crushing her with rear wheel.
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| A captured image of a CCTV footage shows a woman's arm stuck in a bus door which caused her death in Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Captured from JTBC |
The petitioner argued that accidents could be reduced if traffic laws were changed.
"I urge lawmakers and authorities to establish laws requiring bus drivers to wait until passengers are seated or have grabbed straps, and banning them from pushing the door-closing button while passengers are still getting off.
On Saturday, another petition was filed on the presidential website by a person who claimed to be a family member of the victim.
The petitioner said the family could see many responses from people who had similar experiences of being caught in the back doors of buses.
"We also saw many responses from bus drivers who say they don't have enough time to check the back doors as they have to keep up with the time schedule between buses on their route," the person said.
The writer said bus drivers should be educated on safe door closing when passengers get on and off, and bus companies need to change their scheduling systems so that drivers will not be too pressured to maintain an interval with another bus.
