| 04.02.2010 |
'This was a disaster waiting to happen'
3 February 2010, 23:14
Related Articles49 pupils found in 16-seater taxi
By Sinegugu Ndlovu
KwaZulu-Natal traffic police were shocked to find 49 school children crammed in to a taxi they had stopped at Mooi River Toll Plaza on Wednesday morning.
Worse was to follow when the discovered that the driver was five times over the legal alcohol limit.
Road Traffic Inspectorate chief Collin Govender said the pupils, who were 3 to 13 years old, had escaped death.
He said the taxi, which was certified to carry 16 passengers, had been travelling to Estcourt, where the children went to school.
"The children were sitting on top of each other. It's outrageous when you consider that these are school children who were being transported by someone in possession of a public driver's permit. Driving under the influence of alcohol is one thing, but when you consider the lives of all these children it shows how irresponsible the driver is," said Govender.
"His vision was blurred. It's 30km from Mooi River to Estcourt and he still had to drive to different schools when he arrived in the town to drop off the children. The children had to remain in that (uncomfortable) position until they got to school. They had their school bags with them and the conductor was also in the taxi," he said.
"We are fortunate (that nothing happened). This was a disaster waiting to happen."
The man was charged with overloading and drunk driving. He will appear in the Mooi River Magistrate's Court on Thursday.
Govender said that according to the children, it was common practice for taxi drivers to overload passengers early in the day to meet targets set by their employers. This risky practice afforded the drivers time to relax later in the day.
"But passengers and other road users are the ones at risk at the end of the day," said Govender. He warned that his department would continue targeting public transport vehicles to ensure the safety of passengers and other road users.
Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Willies Mchunu was shocked by the incident, saying the driver had acted "irresponsibly" in driving children while under the influence of alcohol.
www.thestar.co.za
* Ed notes: Remember the Zim 404's to Avenues/Parirenyatwa??? |
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