Offaly Bus Crash - Who is to blame?

dixiefly

Will this latest tragedy force the Government into doing something about seat belts on school buses? Also the age and condition of the buses - they should be MOT'd ahead of private cars!!!
Get your fingers out Cullen, Ahern etc.

Litcagral

dixiefly wrote:

Will this latest tragedy force the Government into doing something about seat belts on school buses? Also the age and condition of the buses - they should be MOT'd ahead of private cars!!!
Get your fingers out Cullen, Ahern etc.

We use the DOE in this country. We don't have a Ministry of Transport.

Mr E

(a) it wasn't an official schoolbus (it was privately operated)
(b) it could have been caused by speeding (the road is brutal).

Ray777

Slightly knee-jerk response, tbh. Taking into account the nature of the damage done to the minibus, who knows whether seatbelts would have made any difference?

civdef

Offaly Bus Crash - Government to Blame

That didn't take long. will you be making the detailed findings of your accident investigation public?

MorningStar

You know rushing to blame anybody is just plain stupid. Accidents will always happen no matter what. Considering 9 out of 10 accidents are put down to drivers I think the heading should be immediately changed. There maybe nobody to blame.

Bogger77

TmB wrote:

(a) it wasn't an official schoolbus (it was privately operated)
(b) it could have been caused by speeding (the road is brutal).

Road may be brutal, but quiet safe at 40mph, there's no suggestion of speeding. It's the kind of road that has been that way for years, and will continue to be as it's through an area of scientic interest, but the drivers driven that road 2 times a day for the last 3 school years at least.

I've been talking to a few people in the locality and a serious malfunction of the buses rear suspension (ie axle breaking or falling off) has been mentioned as possible cause.

Don't blame the road just yet, nor the driver, the buses mechanical condition should be primary suspect.

Hobart

I've edited the title of the thread. AFAIK there has been no statement from anybody apportioning blame for this tragic accident.

I understand that the death of a child is a very emotive subject, and I'm sure that all of our thoughts are with the friends and family of the child. But lets please not start "soap boxing" on this issue. By all means make a point, and try to back it up, however blasting out unsubstantiated statments and fingerpointing (at this early stage) is pointless and will only lead to flaming, thread closure,etc....

Victor

Cars kill many times more children than buses do.

dixiefly wrote:

Will this latest tragedy force the Government into doing something about seat belts on school buses?

Seat belts are well down the list of priorities regarding bus safety.

Making helmets compulsory in cars would save more lives sooner and cheaper.

MorningStar

Victor wrote:

Cars kill many times more children than buses do.Seat belts are well down the list of priorities regarding bus safety.

Making helmets compulsory in cars would save more lives sooner and cheaper.

Well said dangers are often over estimated and the world has dangers not all can or should be avoided. My sympathies are with all involved nobody wanted this to happened

NavanJunction1

I know the road quite well.

It's a typical bog road, very bumpy and jumpy.

However it is also as straight as an arrow, with not many houses on either side.., and no junctions along the middle part at all..

corktina

i think it's been said before that seat belts on school buses are impossible to get right when the passengers range from age 4 to 18.......they simply wont fit the little ones without booster cushions or special harnesses and are likely to increase the danger in some cases.....

...i'm a firm beleiver in seat blets as it happens, but as regards school buses I think they are a red Herring.....

special vehcles that arent 50% glass on the sides rather than old coaches and service buses would be a start.....