Tuesday 23 February 2010

Peruvian bus crashes - 2

At least 38 people have been killed in another serious bus crash in Peru. Two buses collided head-on on the Panamerican highway, one of Peru’s busiest roads, about 300 miles north of Lima.

Bus crashes are common in Peru. Less than a fortnight ago, 17 people died when two buses collided in Quispicanchi province in the south of the country, and in December a bus plunged down a ravine in the Andes killing 42. (see my blog of Dec 29) The country has now secured a loan of £100 million from the World Bank to improve its roads.

Internationally comparable figures on road deaths are hard to come by, but they suggest that most of the countries with the most dangerous roads are in Africa. Eritrea has an annual rate of 48.4 deaths per 100,000 inhabitants, Egypt 41.6, Libya 40.5, Angola and Niger 37.7, the Gambia 36.6 and Mauritania 35.5. Afghanistan has a rate of 39, Iraq 38.1 and Iran 35.8.

In this company, Peru’s 21.5 seems fairly modest, though the UK’s rate is just 5.4, and the Netherlands 4.8. (see also my blog of Jan 5)

1 comment:

  1. Automobiles can cause grave accidents leading to serious injuries. A large percentage of auto accidents are caused by negligence and recklessness of drivers. Some are due to intoxication or drug influenced drivers. A number are caused by poorly designed roads and improper traffic signals. It can also be caused by a defective vehicle or tire. In case of auto accidents, it is important for the victims to know how to react in order to protect their rights and to make sure that they do not commit errors that can finish up costing them more. A professional auto accident lawyer will help them get proper advice & manage with auto accidents or workers compensation lawsuits very easily. Visit accident claims for more information.

    ReplyDelete