Minibus carnage is just the latest in long line of tragedies
There has been no shortage of fatal accidents in the past few years to remind Hongkongers of the dangers of speeding minibuses.
But the tragedies just keep happening. And yesterday's carnage - which left three dead and two in a critical condition in hospital - is one which has great relevance to unionist lawmaker Wong Kwok-hing.
Mr Wong warned the Legislative Council only last week of the potential for tragedy on the Tuen Mun to Sheung Shui route, which he travels by bus once or twice a week.
While the minibus' speed often cut 10 minutes off a journey which was normally 35 minutes long, the legislator said the experience, as the drivers sent their buses hurtling down the highway, was terrifying as the speedometer hit 90km/h - 10km/h above the limit.
'The first thing I do after finding a seat is fasten the seat belt,' Mr Wong said. 'Then I grip the handle on the seat in front of me with two hands and brace myself for any emergency, such as sudden braking. I never dare to doze off during the journey but other passengers do. Some don't even wear seat belts.'
Yesterday's tragedy was the latest in a long line of minibus-related fatalities. Two women were killed on June 12 when a minibus mounted a pavement in Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Mong Kok, after it collided with a double-decker bus.
Seven other women were injured when the minibus ploughed into a crowd of nine pedestrians on the pavement.
The scene at the accident resembled a war zone, with a Circle K shopfront destroyed and blood staining the pavement. Residents described the location as a traffic black spot where minibuses often drove like 'racing cars'.
In an accident that spurred an outcry against dangerous driving, two 15-year-old boys were killed by a green minibus that hit their bicycle in Sheung Shui on July 25, 2006.
The two boys were knocked down as they rode the same bike along Jockey Club Road. One boy died at the scene and the other in hospital. The driver was arrested for drink-driving and dangerous driving causing death.
On November 13, 2005, two elderly male passengers were killed when they were catapulted 15 metres out of a minibus which crashed head-on into a truck at Sha Tau Kok. Another four people were injured in the crash. On the same day, 17 people were injured when two minibuses collided head-on at the junction of Repulse Bay Road and Headland Road. Witnesses said both accidents involved minibuses trying to overtake other vehicles.
On October 22, 2004, two minibuses vying for passengers jumped a red light and smashed into a taxi at a junction in North Point, leaving two dead and 18 injured.
The two almost full buses also collided, mowing down a 20-metre stretch of railings, a traffic light and a lamp post before coming to a stop, with one on its side.
Traffic data shows there were 502 speeding cases involving minibuses in the first five months of this year. Last year there were 1,114, almost half the number of 2,051 in 2007.
