Mahmoud Ahmad
We all read about the tragic story of the terrible bus crash on Al-Hijrah Road last week. The bus carrying 44 pilgrims was on its way from Jeddah airport to Madinah, when the accident occurred. Twenty pilgrims died in that terrible accident and the rest were injured. According to officials and initial reports, the driver fell asleep behind the steering wheel and the bus overturned and crashed, becoming a wreck on the side of the road.
The pictures of bodies lined up and covered on the ground, some with their own white Ihrams or white cloth, brought tears to my eyes. These pilgrims were on a spiritual journey and died as a result of the fault of the driver. Many would also pray that the pilgrims should surely attain paradise, while also state that whatever happened is the will of Allah. We offer our condolences to the victims’ kith and kin and call on highway patrol officials to tighten their grip and implement strict measures to ensure such terrible accidents do not happen again.
I am a frequent traveler between Jeddah and Madinah by road, and I go up and down the Jeddah-Madinah highway at least three times a month. During the drive I spot many violations, and I can point out many of those committed by bus drivers on this highway including speeding — some of these heavy vehicles do more than 140 km per hour.
Sometimes drivers of buses are careless and make maneuvers on the highway that are dangerous not only to them but to others in the bus and also on the road. They compound the fact that they are speeding by changing lanes often while also trying to exhibit their driving prowess by swerving between cars while on occasions taking the vehicle from the extreme right to the far left lane, all that, with pilgrims on the bus.
In addition, the long hours put in by drivers also prove to be contributing factors. Some drivers are forced to be on the wheel for long hours and are exhausted, and that puts the lives of pilgrims on the bus and other motorists on the road in danger.
I remember one time driving from Madinah to Jeddah on the middle lane. Suddenly I saw a bus, carrying passengers that I assumed were pilgrims, driving at high speed on the right lane. The bus driver then suddenly changed lanes and forced me from the middle to the left lane and then just speeded up. I was driving at 120 km/h and he was way over 140 km/h. What shocked me was the fact that he was maneuvering between cars without any concern for anybody’s safety — barreling down the road just because he had a heavy vehicle that could force any other vehicle off its path.
I thought that the bus driver was on drugs or the bus was stolen and he was escaping from police. I followed him for a distance trying to take down the number of the bus and call the police. But I could not because the way the bus was swerving and speeding it was too dangerous for me to stay on his tail and I did not want to risk my life and the lives of other drivers.
This is just an example and I am sure some of our readers might have experienced something similar or seen a bus being driven at high speed during their drive down to either of the holy places — Makkah or Madinah.
I remember when I was on official trips abroad to many countries including Japan and Taiwan and our delegation was using bus for transportation, I noticed the extreme caution of the driver while ensuring the safety of passengers. We traveled between cities in the island of Taiwan using buses and during the whole trip felt safer. I observed how the driver did not violate any laws nor did he get any police directives, though there were many of them in every nook and corner, on safety and regulations. This was due to the fact that the driver himself was implementing strict measures on himself.
What the highway patrol needs to do is to increase their presence on the road and be tougher on violating speedsters, especially bus drivers. I do not know if such a system exists but there should be in place a system, similar to the system employed by pilots where they are on the roster for a fixed hour only and are brought back on duty after a rest period, such that they are not allowed to overwork beyond their abilities. A similar system for the drivers where the driver's last trip is logged in this system would enable the administrators to provide a rota of drivers at work and those at rest. Bus drivers should not work beyond their abilities so they are not exhausted or sleepy or tired behind the wheel.
In addition the bus drivers, who are driving from neighboring countries, should be monitored closely and there should be a checkpoint every 50 kilometers and secret police stationed in between the checkpoints to radio ahead the drivers who are violating the speed limit. I suggest also that we should have mobile laboratories stationed on the highway where a quick blood test can be carried out to check for substance abuse by the drivers.
Some drivers, because they are driving for long distances and are driving for longer hours, use the help of pills in order to keep them awake during these drives. This is extremely dangerous as it has a negative effect on the body and can endanger the passengers and other motorists on the road.
The writer can be reached at mahmad@saudigazette.com.sa
Twitter: @anajeddawi_eng
