A review of road accidents involving buses of the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) has revealed that most of the accidents happened while experienced drivers were driving the vehicles.
Among the accidents that were reported in 2022, 39% of them happened while drivers of the age group 41 to 50 were driving and 23.2% of the drivers fall under the age group of 36 to 40 years. Interestingly, newly joined drivers in the age group of 21 to 30 are involved in just 1.2 % of the accidents.
This year, 71 accidents have been reported involving KSRTC buses, claiming the lives of 28 people and injuring 67. Officials said 44% of road accident victims are bikers and 19% are pedestrians. A majority of the accidents were reported between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
On Tuesday, in the backdrop of reports on multiple accidents involving KSRTC buses, Managing Director of KSRTC Anbu Kumar held an interaction with 35 drivers with a history of accidents. Last week, 26 passengers were injured after a speeding KSRTC bus rammed into the metro pillar on Mysuru Road. Many of the seriously injured passengers and the driver are still undergoing treatment at various hospitals.
“We held meetings with the drivers to have a deeper understanding about why accidents happen and what corrective measures need to be taken to bring down the accident rate. There are multiple reasons for accidents: reckless driving by the driver, black spots, bad road conditions, other motorists not following rules and many others. There is a need to sensitise our drivers about the rights of other road users, especially pedestrians and bikers, as they are major victims of road accidents. Drivers have to realise that road accidents will have a far reaching impact on lives of injured or dependents of people who died in road accidents.,” said the MD. He added that the corporation is roping in the World Resources Institute (WRI) on training drivers.
On the recent accident that happened on Mysuru Road, Mr. Anbu Kumar said the KSRTC is bearing the medical expenses of passengers who are undergoing treatment at various hospitals. “Instructions have been given to all the divisions to make sure that injured passengers are visited on a regular basis when they are receiving treatment. We are also bearing the cost of close relatives who are attending the patients at the hospital and kits being provided containing fruit, clothes, eatables and other things. In case injured people are in need of a wheelchair or other aids, it will be provided, ” the official said.
Retired drivers
The KSRTC, which is facing a shortage of drivers, is planning to use the service of retired drivers on a temporary basis. The MD said that due to financial issues, recruitment of new drivers has been stalled. “This summer season, we have gradually increased the services and our revenue has touched ₹10 crore per day. To make maximum utilisation of available fleet, scarcity of drivers is a hurdle. We have decided to use the service of retired drivers who are physically fit. The drivers will get close to ₹1,000 for eight steering hours and ₹125 for every hour thereafter. Their service will be used in divisions such as Ramanagaram, Chamarajanagar and Mangaluru,” the official said.
