In March of last year, a shuttle bus driver struck and killed a young University of Connecticut student while the young man was walking in a crosswalk. Police say that while the bus driver was driving under the speed limit, he waved to another shuttle bus driver moments before the incident. One year after the fatal bus accident, shuttle buses at the University of Connecticut are now giving pedestrians automated warnings as the buses turn corners.
The new system provides automatic verbal messages that warn pedestrians when a bus is turning and remind drivers to look both ways. When the bus wheels pass a certain degree during a turn, an automated voice is broadcast through speakers which alerts, “Pedestrians, bus is turning.”
As professional drivers, bus drivers are trained to drive carefully. Unfortunately, even the most well-trained driver can make a driving mistake or drive carelessly. Serious injury can result to pedestrians and bus passengers when a bus driver’s negligence results in the bus colliding with a pedestrian.
An injured pedestrian or passengers may be able to recoup from such serious injuries in any automobile accident, including bus accidents, through pursuing their just compensation. The implementation of better safety measures is a small positive in this wholly tragic situation.
Even with the new safety precautions, bus accidents involving pedestrians are serious and can be not only injurious but often fatal. The University of Connecticut has hopefully instituted a system that will prevent more tragic incidences like that of last March from occurring again.
Source: The Boston Globe, “UConn buses give verbal warnings to pedestrians,” March 21, 2012
