Three students killed, seven injured in Saham on Thursday

Muscat – Three female students were killed and seven others injured when a bus veered off the Batinah highway in Saham on Thursday evening.

In a statement, Royal Oman Police (ROP) said the bus also hit a police officer and then a truck on a service road.

The accident prompted strong reactions on social media as it was the second major accident this month. On April 4, three teachers died in an accident in the wilayat of Mahout in Al Wusta governorate.

Mohammed al Jabri tweeted, “The Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, in coordination with ROP, must issue a law regarding the placement of surveillance cameras inside buses to monitor drivers and ensure that they obey speed limit and do not use a phone while driving.”

Another citizen, Abdul Malik al Hinai said driving school/college buses must require special licencing and undergoing security and safety courses to prevent such tragic accidents.

According to Shihab al Adawi, ROP should grant licences to minibus drivers only after fulfilment of certain conditions, including a driving licence issued not more than five years ago and passing security and safety tests. ”The police should also review school/college bus drivers’ records every six months and revoke the licence of drivers who commit serious violations.”

Additionally, Adawi suggested all buses for students have remote tracking systems to monitor speed.

Another twitterati, Youssef Ali said, “Unfortunately, most minibus drivers are young and need training in safety and security.”

As many as 371 people were killed in road accidents in 2020, compared to 511 in 2019, according to ROP. Figures released show a drop of 67 per cent in road accident deaths from 2012 to 2020, and 27.4 per cent from 2019 to 2020.

ROP has launched several safe driving awareness campaigns to reduce accidents in the country. It urges drivers to follow road regulations to prevent accidents.

ROP has also warned motorists to slow down and be more careful when driving home or elsewhere for iftar. During Ramadan, most traffic accidents and offences are reported in the minutes before iftar as motorists are in a hurry to reach home to end their fast.