Thiruvananthapuram: More than 20 children have lost their lives over the past one year in accidents caused primarily because of school buses flouting rules.
Another 26 children were injured in such incidents.
In several cases, children were thrown out of the bus after being hit by the door while alighting. Some were run over by the same vehicles from which they just got out.
There have been many instances of rash driving, but the drivers often get away with it as officials usually don’t stop vehicles carrying school children.
Five children died after being hit by the door and fell off the bus.
Another five died after they were run over by the same school vehicles from which they alighted.
Eleven children were hit by other vehicles while trying to cross the road on their own.
Most of the accidents involving school buses happened when the only staff in the vehicle was the driver.
The motor vehicle department has caught 324 buses in the past one year for breaking rules.
Of these, fines were imposed on 80 and in another 120 cases, the drivers were warned. In 124 incidents, the school authorities were informed.
But the continuing accidents involving school buses show that those steps were not enough.
In many cases, the same vehicles where the drivers or schools were previously warned, or imposed fines against, were again found flouting rules.
Most of the vehicles caught for breaking rules were plying on contract and not owned by schools.
Read more: Latest in Kerala
