New Transport Regulations Following Death of Tourists in Bus Crash

The South African Transport Ministry has announced new measures to combat the country’s high road deaths rate. 26 British tourists were killed on Monday 27 September 1999 when the tour bus on which they were travelling left the road and tumbled down a mountainside. Another 9 people travelling on the bus were badly injured. Most of those killed were retired people. The coach had a “black box” similar to those used on aircraft to record the sequence of events leading up to the crash. The Department of Transport has set up a Commission of Inquiry which is expected to report within 60 days. A total of 59 people have been killed in bus crashes in South Africa in the last 7 days. The measures proposed include: – vehicle fitness testing – lower speed limits for buses – regulations governing maximum driver’s hours – mandatory advance courses for long distance drivers.

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