EDITORIAL - Deadly ride

When they’re not racing against each other, turning thoroughfares into their private terminals or picking up passengers in the middle of the street, bus drivers seem to find enough distractions to fail to see where they are going.

Passengers on a Bulacan-bound bus said the driver was speeding along Quirino Highway while chatting with someone who had just boarded the bus when the vehicle smashed into a boundary marker between Caloocan and Quezon cities yesterday morning. The impact cut the bus nearly in half, killing two of the passengers instantly; two others died later in a hospital.

Driver George Pacis of the Valisno Transit Bus fled the scene but later surrendered to the police, apologizing to the relatives of the fatalities and the survivors. Of course no sane driver wants to kill; safety of passengers, pedestrians and fellow motorists should be foremost in the mind of anyone who drives. To make sure this is never overlooked, operators of mass transport vehicles should do their best to remind their drivers that passenger safety comes first. This means ensuring that the drivers are in top shape for what is generally an exhausting job.

Unfortunately for commuters, this basic requirement is often ignored, with drivers required to work long hours with insufficient breaks and without replacements for long trips. To stay awake, they take energy drinks or even drugs, which can wreak havoc on sensory perception and driving skills.

Pacis did not seem to be under the influence of drugs or liquor or overly pumped up with energy drinks. But police said records showed he had been on duty since 9 p.m. on Tuesday. He said he did his best to avoid the accident. His best, tragically, was not good enough, and he may spend many years behind bars for multiple homicide and multiple physical injuries for his recklessness. His co-workers are also affected; the 62 buses of Valisno Transit have been grounded for 30 days by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board.

It’s been more than four years since two buses speeding on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City sideswiped a taxi one after the other, killing its passenger, veteran journalist Lourdes Simbulan. Since then a lower speed limit has been set on Commonwealth, but deadly road accidents involving buses have not abated in Metro Manila and other parts of the country. The latest deadly accident shows the need for stronger measures to make mass transportation safer.