Editorial comment: Why race with passengers?

THIS is the question many Zimbabweans have been asking each other on various social media platforms for the greater part of the week.

The raging debate was sparked by two criminal bus drivers, who caused an accident along the Harare-Nyamapanda Highway on Tuesday.

A Rimbi Tours bus driver was racing with a Zebra Kiss bus, which kept on blocking the way each time he wanted to overtake.

Survivors said the Zebra Kiss driver was cheeky and riled the Rimbi Tours bus driver in the process.

In frustration, the Rimbi Tours bus driver appeared ready to sacrifice his passengers, and failed to keep a proper following distance and rammed into a tipper truck.

His conductor, who had been recording the entire episode on his cellphone, died on the spot from the impact.

Seven other people were seriously injured and taken to hospital.

This tragic accident could have been avoided had the two bus drivers simply followed road traffic rules.

Now the two drivers are like to face homicide charges for the death of the conductor, as well as endangering passengers’ lives.

The viral video has exposed both drivers for speeding, negligence and totally unfit to be behind the wheels.

The Zebra Kiss driver should have acted responsibly by warning the Rimbi bus driver that it was unsafe to overtake.

This barbaric act, which has been going on for years, appears to have been worsened by the emergence of the new crop of bus drivers plying our major highways.

Is age and experience still considered for holders of Class 1 driver’s licences?

Are police and the Vehicle Inspectorate Department (VID) bold enough to weed out reckless drivers?

Is the Traffic Safety Council of Zimbabwe doing enough to raise awareness against speeding and errant driving?

Is defensive driving still being taken seriously by modern day bus drivers and transport operators, who continue to put passengers’ lives at risk?

In the past, long distance buses were driven by mature, responsible and experienced drivers, which minimised road traffic accidents.

The Zimbabwe United Passenger Company (ZUPCO), which plied long distance routes, was a safe bet.

However, ZUPCO appears incapacitated, which has resulted in other operators taking over most routes.

Members of the public have also appealed to authorities to introduce scheduled route timetables to prevent this rush for passengers.

The competition for passengers is the major reason for bus accidents on our roads.

Perhaps it’s operators exerting too much pressure on their crews for profits, which has seen passengers being sacrificed.

Bus drivers caught breaking traffic rules should lose their drivers’ licences for good.

Passengers’ pleas should be taken seriously when they complain about reckless drivers.

Government should intervene to halt this this rank madness on our roads.