In yet another case of reckless driving, 10 people reportedly died when a bus owned by Young Shall Grow Motors Limited collided with a stationary truck on October 22. There were over 40 passengers on the bus, which was en route to Lagos from the South-east.
A survivor’s account painted a picture showing how the bus driver and the management of the company that owned the bus contributed to the avoidable tragedy. Godwin Ikechukwu was quoted as saying: “We left Enugu in the night… About 10 minutes after we left, the driver started driving recklessly and everybody on the bus was alarmed, telling him to slow down. The man did not listen to any of us; nobody was comfortable.”
The account continued: “When I could no longer bear it, I decided to bring out my payment receipt ticket, checked the telephone numbers and found the customer care contacts of Young Shall Grow Motors. I called and told them our experience. I said the driver taking us to Lagos was driving recklessly and the company should caution him. They asked for the number plate of the bus and I gave it to them. They said they would take care of it.”
But it looks like the company didn’t make a move to address the bad situation. Things got worse. Ikechukwu said: “When the man continued to drive recklessly, I decided to call them again. I called for more than 10 times, but they did not pick my calls. The next thing, their phone was switched off. Our ugly experience from Enugu continued to the point that nobody could sleep; we were all praying. The driver refused to listen to advice as he drank and smoked.”
Another passenger said: “He was under the influence…There were other buses that passed where we had the accident without any problem. If he was in his right senses, even if there was no sign to indicate that there was a broken down vehicle at the spot, he would have controlled the bus. But before he realised it, he had rammed into the stationary bus at top speed. After the accident, he disappeared.”
The tragedy was avoidable. Drink-driving and overspeeding are condemnable. So the driver must not go unpunished. There is no excuse for dangerous and potentially destructive behaviour behind the wheel. Also, the company’s failure to intervene before the tragedy happened is inexcusable.