British coach crash in Northern France
Discussion
Story here
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17088463
School ski-ing trip coach on return leg to the UK crashed in Northern France early this morning. 1 teacher has died, 4 others seriously injured.
Early reports were questioning whether the driver fell asleep. Tests for drugs/alcohol were negative.
Resonates with me very strongly, as my son (age 10 then) did this exact trip last year and we did wory about the 18 hour coach travel to and from Pila, Italy, but each coach has 2 drivers aboard.
Best wishes to all those injured for a speedy recovery, condolences to the family and friends for the loss of their loved one.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17088463
School ski-ing trip coach on return leg to the UK crashed in Northern France early this morning. 1 teacher has died, 4 others seriously injured.
Early reports were questioning whether the driver fell asleep. Tests for drugs/alcohol were negative.
Resonates with me very strongly, as my son (age 10 then) did this exact trip last year and we did wory about the 18 hour coach travel to and from Pila, Italy, but each coach has 2 drivers aboard.
Best wishes to all those injured for a speedy recovery, condolences to the family and friends for the loss of their loved one.
Edited by Migsy on Sunday 19th February 15:15
I never really feel comfortable in buses and coaches, I know they are safe and quite stable but whenever I'm on one there is always the nagging feeling at the back of my mind that as soon as we go round a corner it will flip. I especially hate it how proper seat belts aren't provided, if we crash those lap belts are no better than not having a belt on at all.
Really not sure that for that sort of distance travelling overnight 2 drivers is the answer. Must mean they have to sleep on the coach and is that really the safest option?
As someone else has posted the better option would appear to be collecting relief drivers on route. Mind you I came back from Belguim on a coach once and we stopped at the services on the M2 to change drivers. It turned out this was so our driver could drive a car back to Cardiff and meet the coach when it got back there to take it back to Europe. His driving time in the car didnt count, so it got round the driver hours restrictions. Hopefully that sort of trick is no longer legal.
Problem is if you are driving other people do you keep going on the basis you dont want to let them down, dont want the embarrassment of admitting to being too tired to drive? If the driver did fall asleep I guess he either didnt know he was going to or thought that he'd get over it. A horrible experience for all involved.
As someone else has posted the better option would appear to be collecting relief drivers on route. Mind you I came back from Belguim on a coach once and we stopped at the services on the M2 to change drivers. It turned out this was so our driver could drive a car back to Cardiff and meet the coach when it got back there to take it back to Europe. His driving time in the car didnt count, so it got round the driver hours restrictions. Hopefully that sort of trick is no longer legal.
Problem is if you are driving other people do you keep going on the basis you dont want to let them down, dont want the embarrassment of admitting to being too tired to drive? If the driver did fall asleep I guess he either didnt know he was going to or thought that he'd get over it. A horrible experience for all involved.
Chrisgr31 said:
Really not sure that for that sort of distance travelling overnight 2 drivers is the answer. Must mean they have to sleep on the coach and is that really the safest option?
As someone else has posted the better option would appear to be collecting relief drivers on route. Mind you I came back from Belguim on a coach once and we stopped at the services on the M2 to change drivers. It turned out this was so our driver could drive a car back to Cardiff and meet the coach when it got back there to take it back to Europe. His driving time in the car didnt count, so it got round the driver hours restrictions. Hopefully that sort of trick is no longer legal.
Problem is if you are driving other people do you keep going on the basis you dont want to let them down, dont want the embarrassment of admitting to being too tired to drive? If the driver did fall asleep I guess he either didnt know he was going to or thought that he'd get over it. A horrible experience for all involved.
Given how shattered the pupils and teachers were on son's trip, we refused to allow him to go next year (it's a bi-annual trip at his Middle School) as he really wasn't fit for school the following day. It does make you realise that the driver is in the same position of trying to sleep in a coach seat.As someone else has posted the better option would appear to be collecting relief drivers on route. Mind you I came back from Belguim on a coach once and we stopped at the services on the M2 to change drivers. It turned out this was so our driver could drive a car back to Cardiff and meet the coach when it got back there to take it back to Europe. His driving time in the car didnt count, so it got round the driver hours restrictions. Hopefully that sort of trick is no longer legal.
Problem is if you are driving other people do you keep going on the basis you dont want to let them down, dont want the embarrassment of admitting to being too tired to drive? If the driver did fall asleep I guess he either didnt know he was going to or thought that he'd get over it. A horrible experience for all involved.
I suspect you are right about the pressure to keep going and get everyone back on time - or in our case, it was positioned that they hoped to make good time as in previous trips, catching an earlier ferry and therefore arriving back at school earlier.
I appreciate the 2 drivers our son's school used were their regular drivers for this trip and well known to the teachers/group leaders - they ferry the group around at Aosta/Pila and stay with them all week. Probably no different for the drivers involved today.
Wonder if he could have fallen ill at the wheel?
A friends daughter (13y.o.) got back from a skiing trip to Italy (by coach) on Saturday.
The teachers and ski school didn't bother letting her know they had arrived safely at the resort - she had to contact them to get the OK, and was met with a typically blasé response.
Bit too close to home...
The teachers and ski school didn't bother letting her know they had arrived safely at the resort - she had to contact them to get the OK, and was met with a typically blasé response.
Bit too close to home...
nelly1 said:
A friends daughter (13y.o.) got back from a skiing trip to Italy (by coach) on Saturday.
The teachers and ski school didn't bother letting her know they had arrived safely at the resort - she had to contact them to get the OK, and was met with a typically blasé response.
Bit too close to home...
Indeed and very bad practice to not have communicated their arrival at resort. Glad she's home safely.The teachers and ski school didn't bother letting her know they had arrived safely at the resort - she had to contact them to get the OK, and was met with a typically blasé response.
Bit too close to home...
We had 5 groups of phone chains - teachers phoned the first of each group and then parents cascaded down each list. Worked perfectly both for arrival at resort and ETA for return on the Sunday.
I know it's good to give children these opportunities for independence and new experiences, but makes me think twice when this happens. He's off to Normandy with school by coach in June. Worry head well and truly on, but a much shorter journey thankfully.
Chrisgr31 said:
Really not sure that for that sort of distance travelling overnight 2 drivers is the answer. Must mean they have to sleep on the coach and is that really the safest option?
As someone else has posted the better option would appear to be collecting relief drivers on route. Mind you I came back from Belguim on a coach once and we stopped at the services on the M2 to change drivers. It turned out this was so our driver could drive a car back to Cardiff and meet the coach when it got back there to take it back to Europe. His driving time in the car didnt count, so it got round the driver hours restrictions. Hopefully that sort of trick is no longer legal.
Problem is if you are driving other people do you keep going on the basis you dont want to let them down, dont want the embarrassment of admitting to being too tired to drive? If the driver did fall asleep I guess he either didnt know he was going to or thought that he'd get over it. A horrible experience for all involved.
Coaches have crew rest areas with a bed etc under the seating area so you can get a proper sleep if required. They were only travelling 400 odd miles across France so wouldnt have been a problem with 2 drivers even if the relief driver was only resting in the jump seat. As someone else has posted the better option would appear to be collecting relief drivers on route. Mind you I came back from Belguim on a coach once and we stopped at the services on the M2 to change drivers. It turned out this was so our driver could drive a car back to Cardiff and meet the coach when it got back there to take it back to Europe. His driving time in the car didnt count, so it got round the driver hours restrictions. Hopefully that sort of trick is no longer legal.
Problem is if you are driving other people do you keep going on the basis you dont want to let them down, dont want the embarrassment of admitting to being too tired to drive? If the driver did fall asleep I guess he either didnt know he was going to or thought that he'd get over it. A horrible experience for all involved.
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