Parked buses need checking

Recently, a boy felt asleep on the bus to a Ma On Shan kindergarten. The driver and nanny left him on the bus and locked it. The boy was found about 10 minutes later by a passer-by.

Luckily the youngster was rescued by firefighters.

I think the nanny in this case was very careless. She didn't check the bus before she left. This is dangerous especially on hot days. When a bus is parked and its engine turned off, the temperature inside can rise to as high as 40 degrees Celsius. I think this kind of school bus should be installed with a security camera. Then the driver should be able to see whether there is a child inside or not. They should check before they leave the bus. Also, the school should tell the children not to sleep on the school bus.

Ng Ho-man, Po Leung Kuk No1 W.H. Cheung College

From the Editor

Thank you for your letter, Ho-man. Although the poor driver and nanny made a simple negligent mistake, the consequences could have been horrific. People can die if locked in vehicles. This sort of thing can also happen to dogs if their owners forget them in the car, or even just leave them in for an hour or so. The car can trap heat like a greenhouse, and eventually cook whatever is inside it.

A few weeks ago a mentally challenged man was found unconscious in a bus that had been parked in the sun for about six hours. He had to be admitted to hospital.

It should be the duty of every bus driver to check a bus before he leaves it. This way these sorts of things would not happen.

Susan, Editor