Another big tragedy – a road journey which took the lives of 19 people on board of KSRTC bus. The accident happened in Coimbatore around 3AM when a container lorry lost control and rammed to this bus. The visuals seen are very depressing – all that’s left are the bloody sight and mangled steel, which was once a Volvo bus.
This accident was caused by the driver who dozed off at the wheels and the container truck crashed against the oncoming ill-fated Volvo bus. I think that both the vehicles must be travelling at high speed and there was very little chance for the Volvo bus driver to avert this.
Call it fate or is it possible to avert such kind of accidents? I guess, there are many such accidents which keeps happening. The time of the accident ( 3:AM) is the time when we get into deep sleep And, that few seconds is all it takes to loose control over the vehicle.
Accident Rescue Preparedness
The accident happened at around 3:AM and even by 8:AM, rescue workers were looking for survivors – in case any person is still struck in the twisted metal. I was thinking of how the rescue was carried in the early hours?
– How long did it take for the fire service personal to arrive at the spot?
– How prepared were the rescue team – machinery to cut the metal, and the medical aid for the injured
– Who came first on the crash site – Public or the cops?
Rescue Mission Control Centre and Vehicle Facilities
This is what I envisaged about a typical rescue vehicle – what it should be equipped.
Let’s imagine, there’s a search and rescue truck for every district in India. There are the things, it should carry.
– Lights. Big powerful lights which can light up the whole area. It will have search lights which can beam to any crevice. The lights can be hoisted on a flexible ( stretchable) pole and few lights could be carried to the site.
– This vehicle will have one of two generator set to power the lights and with the option to charge them from the vehicle.
– It will have couple of fire extinguishers, oxygen cylinders, masks, blankets, first-aid kit, stretcher, body bags, ice cubes, ropes, pickax, cloth, gloves, mask etc.
– It will have multiple cameras, which beam in live video to the control centre.
– This vehicle will accommodate 8 to 10 personal. Each person trained in rescue, search and medical care.
– For any kind of road accidents, there’s a need for metal cutters. So, this vehicle must carry different types of powerful cutters. It will be chain saw type, hydraulic metal cutters, etc. These will be useful for rescuing people trapped inside metal sheets and bars.
– Vehicle should have inflatable dingy,
– Ladders, Hydraulic Cutter, jacks, pulleys, infra red cameras, etc.
Suggest More Things for this Rescue Bus
What else can you add to this list of must-have items in a rescue mission vehicle? Will such an equipped vehicle help the team to save lives, carry it’s mission successfully.
Also, I’m curious to know what kind of tools are available with the team which visits a crash site? My guess is that mostly fire and safety people will be reaching the site. Thew would be having basic equipment.
Any National Level Thought on How to Avert Such Accidents?
This accident will be in news for few more days – till another headline takes over. Public too will move on from this story to anther. We can’t blame the public for it. It’s the way news has made us to react and move on. However, there must be some lessons for the Government or for the road safety department, if any.
What can we learn or implement?
1. Long distance lorry or bus drivers should wear a watch which can detect their sleep or body rhythms. This watch will alert the driver by vibration or alarm.
On the next level, this watch will pass the data to the vehicle so that the vehicle will automatically reduce the speed.
2. How to make the road divider stronger and secure? Or there should be more space between the two opposite driving lanes? I guess some roads, like Nice Road in Bangalore has that kind of space.
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Flossy Ideas, Meetups and Views 