Though the minibus taxi driver is “unequivocally” to blame for the accident that killed 14 schoolchildren this week, accident reconstruction expert Craig Proctor-Parker believes both vehicles probably could have avoided the crash if they had reacted earlier.
“At 21 seconds into the video footage you can see the minibus taxi is already on the wrong side of the road,” he said. “Both the minibus and the truck can already see each other.
“What is notable is that we see a queue of cars. [The minibus driver] is on the wrong side of the road, and it’s not as if he’s just attempting to overtake one car. No other taxis were overtaking, which plays into the driver’s psyche.”
At 26 seconds, both vehicles are travelling towards each other.
“That’s a long time. You’ve got enough time to see someone ahead of you, perceive them, and slow down and return to your side of the road, or stop or drive off the road. Interestingly, the minibus taxi next to the taxi that crashed was acutely aware there was impending danger, as he moved over to the left-hand side.”
Proctor-Parker added that the truck driver clearly saw the impending danger and started to move to his left.
“The question is why the minibus taxi driver did not move back to the left while the other taxi gave him space to move back. He had an escape route. I would suggest he probably panicked.”
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