Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang has proposed that sleeping-chair buses be banned from travelling on mountainous routes to prevent the recurrence of an incident similar to that which happened in Lao Cai recently.
After the tragic accident on September 1, which killed 12 and injured at least 41; Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang called a meeting to request relevant authorities to scruntinise all regulations concerning sleeping-chair buses.
Minister of Transport Dinh La Thang visits victims
Statistics provided by the Vietnam Register (VR) showed that the country now has over 4,500 sleeping-chair buses in operation, including 859 that have been upgraded from normal buses, and 80 others imported from China. Upon the request by the minister, the VR has banned buses that have been upgraded to sleeping-chair buses beginning in April.
According to the VR, from January 2013, the country reported 22 traffic accidents related to double-deck sleeping-chair buses, the majority of which happened at night or the early morning. Around a third of these were deemed to have been due to rough terrain or limited visibility.
Thang emphasised that the number of these traffic accidents is unacceptable.
“The accident that happened on the first of September in Lao Cai Province was a result of ineffective enforcement of regulations on sleeping-chair buses. I firmly believe that sleeping-chair buses should be banned from traveling on curved mountainous roads,” he noted.
He also emphasised the necessity for an investigation to clarify whether it happened due to technical problems or substandard roads.
Sleeping-chair bus careens into river
Khuat Viet Hung, vice chairman of the National Committee for Traffic Safety, proposed that, not only sleeping-chair buses, but also other passenger vehicles should be scrutinised for their ability to travel over these types of roads.
“What we must do is to work out a safe and convenient travelling map for these sleeping-chair buses. We must also stipulate banned routes to ensure the safety of passengers," said Deputy Minister of Transport Le Dinh Tho.
In Tho's opinion, September 1 accident could have been avoided if the bus were not travelling on narrow, curvy roads and did not attempt to pick up extra passengers.
Luu Viet Anh, deputy director of Tuyen Quang provincial Department of Transport, said that there should be regulations in place that stipulate separated routes for sleeping-chair buses. “
These proposals have been added to a draft circular to be submitted to the minister of transport for approval in early September.
