After several fatal accidents involving sleeper buses in Vietnam, theNational Traffic Safety Committee proposed that the Ministry ofTransport consider whether the buses might be better off the roads.
About 90 percent of passenger bus accidents in the past nine monthswere caused by sleeper buses. In October alone, three sleeper busaccidents killed four people and left 30 injured.
Incentral Nghe An province's Dien Chau district, a sleeper bus collidedhead-on with a container truck. Another sleeper bus suddenly burst intoflames while carrying tens of passengers along National Highway 1A incentral Ha Tinh province, although no fatalities were reported.
"Many countries have banned or restricted these vehicles onlong-distance routes, while in Vietnam the vehicles are exclusively usedfor this kind of route," said vice chairman of the committee NguyenHoang Hiep.
Sleeper buses became popular in 2007 as acheap, convenient way to travel. In Hanoi alone, My Dinh Bus Stationowns 130 sleeper buses and Giap Bat Bus Station owns 50. A sleeper busleaves from Nuoc Ngam Bus Station every 30 minutes.
However, their large size made them more likely to fall on their sidethan normal buses, and the fact that they were assembled from ordinarybuses made them even more unsafe, especially in sharp bends or mountainpasses, according to Chairman of Hanoi Transportation Association BuiDanh Lien.
Nguyen Dam Van, director of Van MinhTourism Company, which owns tens of sleeper buses, said the safety ofthe vehicles depended on their price. Some cost only 1.5 billion VND(70,500 USD) while others cost up to 6 billion VND (282,000 USD).
However, he attributed the accidents mainly to the carelessness ofdrivers and loose management of transport companies, rather than thevehicles themselves.
Vice chairman Hiep said thatthe committee had asked relevant authorities to consider regulating theage of drivers and their driving experience, as well as maximum speedand running time. "It's necessary to ban the vehicles between 2am and5am to prevent drivers from causing accidents," he said.
The Vietnam Registration Office previously inspected double deckersleeper buses and announced that they satisfied the technical criteriafor safety. The ministry will announce its decision this month.-VNA
About 90 percent of passenger bus accidents in the past nine monthswere caused by sleeper buses. In October alone, three sleeper busaccidents killed four people and left 30 injured.
Incentral Nghe An province's Dien Chau district, a sleeper bus collidedhead-on with a container truck. Another sleeper bus suddenly burst intoflames while carrying tens of passengers along National Highway 1A incentral Ha Tinh province, although no fatalities were reported.
"Many countries have banned or restricted these vehicles onlong-distance routes, while in Vietnam the vehicles are exclusively usedfor this kind of route," said vice chairman of the committee NguyenHoang Hiep.
Sleeper buses became popular in 2007 as acheap, convenient way to travel. In Hanoi alone, My Dinh Bus Stationowns 130 sleeper buses and Giap Bat Bus Station owns 50. A sleeper busleaves from Nuoc Ngam Bus Station every 30 minutes.
However, their large size made them more likely to fall on their sidethan normal buses, and the fact that they were assembled from ordinarybuses made them even more unsafe, especially in sharp bends or mountainpasses, according to Chairman of Hanoi Transportation Association BuiDanh Lien.
Nguyen Dam Van, director of Van MinhTourism Company, which owns tens of sleeper buses, said the safety ofthe vehicles depended on their price. Some cost only 1.5 billion VND(70,500 USD) while others cost up to 6 billion VND (282,000 USD).
However, he attributed the accidents mainly to the carelessness ofdrivers and loose management of transport companies, rather than thevehicles themselves.
Vice chairman Hiep said thatthe committee had asked relevant authorities to consider regulating theage of drivers and their driving experience, as well as maximum speedand running time. "It's necessary to ban the vehicles between 2am and5am to prevent drivers from causing accidents," he said.
The Vietnam Registration Office previously inspected double deckersleeper buses and announced that they satisfied the technical criteriafor safety. The ministry will announce its decision this month.-VNA
