Passengers narrowly escape death after bus catches fire
Lindiwe Mozola | Tuesday September 27, 2016 17:30
According to the police traffic officer based in Mahalapye, assistant superintendent Kgosienalerona Sechoni the accident was caused by tyre binding resulting in the bus catching fire.
“Luckily, there were no injuries or fatalities as people managed to escape from the bus before the fire could engulf the whole body of the bus,” he said.
This accident happened hardly a week after four people perished in a car accident along the Dibete road due to the bad condition of their Honda CRV tyres, according to Sechoni.
“So far in three months we have recorded 19 fatalities. This is very sad because people lose their lives in some of these accidents that could have been avoided,” said Sechoni.
Sechoni added that many people buy used cars whose tyres in some cases had been used for over five years therefore it is very important that after buying these used cars, owners should change the tyres.
“We should never compromise our safety at all cost. If it means using more money for high quality tyres so be it because according to our investigations, many accidents are a result of old tyres that are in bad condition,” he added.
Furthermore, he said as the country is heading for BOT50 celebrations and many people will be travelling, they should mind the roadworthiness of their cars and on arrival, celebrate with more responsibility to save their lives.
He said drivers should obey road signs, rules and regulations as well as respecting other road users to avoid road accidents.
Above all, they should not drink and drive since that causes poor judgement, leading to accidents, which most of the times kill innocent people.
Sechoni also advised drivers to always be careful when driving along cattlepost areas since the roads will be infested with stray cattle.
He said as the police, they are trying by all means to control livestock movements by closing the gates whenever they are on duty. He added that it is up to the drivers to also play a role by removing the livestock whenever they see them in order to save lives. He also criticised people who often open the gates and leave them ajar.