高速バス事故 再発防止に安全運行の徹底を

The Yomiuri Shimbun (May. 2, 2012)
Safety must be paramount when operating buses
高速バス事故　再発防止に安全運行の徹底を（5月1日付・読売社説）

Sunday's expressway bus accident seems to suggest that safety concerns have been put on the back burner due to intense price-cutting competition.
　格安競争が激化し、安全が置き去りにされていたのではないか。

Just before dawn Sunday, in the first weekend of the Golden Week holidays, a bus smashed into a noise-blocking wall on the left side of the Kanetsu Expressway in Gunma Prefecture, killing seven passengers and injuring 39 others, some of them seriously.
　大型連休まっただ中の４月２９日未明、群馬県の関越自動車道で、ツアーバスが道路左側の防音壁に衝突し、乗客７人が死亡、３９人が重軽傷を負う悲惨な事故が起きた。

The wall pierced the front of the bus and ripped through the vehicle, illustrating the sheer impact of the crash.
　防音壁が車体を裂くように突き刺さり、バスはほとんど原形をとどめていない。事故の衝撃の大きさを物語っている。

The bus driver told police that he fell asleep at the wheel. Police on Monday obtained a warrant to arrest him on suspicion of negligent driving resulting in death and injury, and searched the office of the bus operator in Chiba Prefecture where the driver worked. An exhaustive investigation must be conducted to pinpoint the cause of the accident.
　バスの運転手は居眠りをしていたと話している。警察は自動車運転過失致死傷容疑で逮捕状を取るとともに、運転手が勤務している千葉県のバス会社を捜索した。事故原因を徹底的に究明することが必要である。

The bus left Kanazawa on Saturday night and was scheduled to arrive at Tokyo Disneyland on Sunday morning. The trip was organized by a travel company in Osaka Prefecture that sought participants online and entrusted their transportation to the bus company.
　今回のツアーは２８日夜に金沢市を出発し、２９日朝に東京ディズニーランドに着く行程だった。大阪府の旅行会社がツアーを企画し、ネットを通じて乗客を募集、バス会社に運行を委託した。

Such bus trips have become increasingly popular, especially among young people, because they are cheaper than traveling by plane or train and can be easily joined by applying over the Internet. The number of people going on these trips has been rising.
　こうしたバスツアーは、航空機や鉄道に比べて格安な料金と、ネットで簡単に申し込める手軽さが若者を中心に人気を呼び、急速に利用者を伸ばしている。

===

Deregulation spurs business

Deregulation of the bus charter business since 2000 has made it easier for new entrants to join the industry. The number of bus operators had jumped to about 4,500 in fiscal 2010.
　２０００年以降の規制緩和で、新規参入が容易になったこともあり、バス事業者数は急増し、１０年度で約４５００に上る。

As competition has intensified, some observers have pointed out safety problems emerging in the industry, such as the excessive workload placed on bus drivers. Sunday's accident, it may be said, turned these concerns into a reality.
　一方で、競争激化による運転手の過重労働など、安全面の課題が問題視されていた。懸念が現実になったと言える。

The bus in Sunday's accident had only one driver, and no replacement driver had been assigned. Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry regulations set upper limits for the driving hours and distance allowed for a driver per day.
　今回のケースでは、運転手は１人で、交代要員はいなかった。国土交通省の規則などは、運転手の１日当たりの運転時間と走行距離の上限を定めている。

The bus operator in question said, "There was no problem with the operation of the bus." But was it appropriate that only one driver was assigned for an overnight trip over such a long distance?
　バス会社は「運行上の問題はなかった」と説明しているが、徹夜で長距離をたった１人で運転することが適切だったのだろうか。

It is essential to bring to light any problems with the company's operational management.
　運行管理の問題点を洗い出すことが重要だ。

===

Do more to prevent repeat

Some people have pointed out that violations by bus operators--such as excessive working hours for drivers--have become par for the course. The transport ministry has left itself open to criticism for belatedly taking measures to prevent this.
　運転手の勤務時間超過など、バス事業者の違反行為は常態化しているとの指摘もある。国交省の対策は後手に回っていたと批判されても仕方あるまい。

To prevent a repeat of Sunday's accident, the ministry must tighten its supervision of bus companies to ensure their vehicles are driven as safely as possible.
　事故の再発を防止するため、国交省は事業者に対する監査体制を強化し、安全運行の徹底を図らねばならない。

It is also problematic that under current law, travel agents are not responsible for ensuring the safety of passengers on trips they organize. Many bus operators have complained that "travel companies have presented tour schedules that turn a blind eye to the costs needed to ensure safety."
　現行法では、ツアーを企画した旅行会社が乗客に対する安全責任を負わないことも問題だ。「旅行会社に安全コストを無視した計画を提示された」といったバス業界側からの苦情も少なくない。

To make sure buses are driven safely, legislative steps must be taken to swiftly establish a system that makes it mandatory for travel agents to take legal responsibility for traffic accidents involving these buses.
　ツアーバスの安全運行のため、旅行会社も法的責任を負う仕組みを早急に整えるべきである。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, May 1, 2012)
（2012年5月1日01時10分 読売新聞）