that coach tragedy in switzerland

 

 

I've recently paid a deposit for my lad to go on one, think I may retract it

I know what you mean. My youngest is going on a school trip to Paris by coach soon and it's a worry but you can't stop them from doing something just in case.

I've been to the barracks at Sion near where this tragedy happened which kind of makes it feel more real. Just horrible to think of the parents who will never see their kids again.

Sickening. 22 children. Awful. God only knows what injuries those who survived have suffered as well.

couldnt believe that the escape lane just ended with an unprotected concrete wall

 

just an ordinary HBB pavement kerb, no trieff safety kerb/armco that could possibly redirect a coach away

 

as you'll never in a million years stop a coach at 60mph

That wall they hit was a disaster waiting to happen

 

Hopefully at that speed, they didn't feel anything

Lads primary school had some kids involved in a bump on motorway last year- he wasn't involved but I was relucatant to let him go on the next trip

That really is horrific. Only heard about it last night. Thoughts to the families and friends.

The teachers final blog post got me

 

"tomorrow will be a busy day and I do not know if I can write a blog posting, but on Wednesday we'll be back, all of us"

my kid brother is currently on a ski trip in italy, gave him a ring , just to make sure he isnt worried, my poor mam is, bless her.

The worrying thing is how many times do you hear of these school coach trips abroad invloving a crash? It seems to be more and more or is the media just picking up on it more now?

 

If i had kids i would be very worried about letting them go but can you stop their lives just in case the unthinkable happens?

The worrying thing is how many times do you hear of these school coach trips abroad invloving a crash? It seems to be more and more or is the media just picking up on it more now?

 

If i had kids i would be very worried about letting them go but can you stop their lives just in case the unthinkable happens?

 

I think its more highly publicised rather than happening more frequently, people who dont watch the news or buy newspapers now hear about things on social networking sites etc, word passes more quickly, there are more ways to 'become aware' of things.

Felt sick last night watching the footage of the crushed bus being dragged out of the tunnel.

That said, accidents happen in many forms, every day, all over the world, and whilst i cant say i never worry about my children, a coach trip to the swimming baths with school, a coach trip to a football match etc, is still a coach trip. So would i let them go on a coach trip abroad. Yes.

To put it into perspective.

If im not prepared to let my children on coaches because of the dangers involved, then i myself should never do it either because of the potential that something could happen and leave them motherless.

You can see how this would snowball into a crippling situation where nobody would ever leave the house.

When families get wiped out on motorways i dont allow myself to think 'that could of been us', i think 'thank God it wasnt us' and we carry on living our lives.

Death can take any of us whenever it chooses, so i get busy living with my boys and make memories.

I would be devastated beyond belief if anything happened to my children.

I would also be devastated in a few years time to learn that i had killed their spirit through over protection, giving them unnecessary fears and restricting their lives,

.

It is a terrible tragedy and it must be worrying for any parent when their child is away from them. Considering how many coach trips etc happen every day there is still only a small number of incidents. Like Auntie Bee said you can't shelter them too much. Most of you go skiing etc which is well dangerous. The Prince who lost his claim to the throne over here is now brain dead from getting stuck in an avalanche. you can't worry about dying otherwise you would never do anything

Coach trips should be banned.

 

They are for scruffs and OAP's anyway!

We spend most of the winter in the French Alps and see accidents like this every week, involving both cars and coaches, what makes this one different is the number of children that were killed. The roads and safety barriers out here are 100% better than in the UK, Most of the accidents caused by 2 major problems

 

1. Driver error: Driving way to fast on road that they dont know, I have driven on these mountain roads for years and no every bend, but I would never try some of the stupid stunts that you see. The speed limit over here is 85 mph on the motor way yet we regularly see british cars pass us doing over 100 mph and coaches doing 70 MPH with the driver othe phone

 

2. Incorrect tyres: All weather tyres are fine in the rest of Europe but in the Alps you need winter tyres, it really pisses me off when I see coaches and cars stuck on mountain roads because they have the wrong tyres and no snow chains. The weather here can change by the hour we have just had 8 days of up to 20 Degrees during the day dropping to -6 in the evening yet people still think they can drive the same on a mountain road.

 

The worst days are Sat & Sun when people are heading home because of the narrow roads out of the mountains traffic jams can last for hours, drivers then try to make up the time they have lost by speeding, hence this tragic accident least weekend.

We spend most of the winter in the French Alps and see accidents like this every week, involving both cars and coaches, what makes this one different is the number of children that were killed. The roads and safety barriers out here are 100% better than in the UK, Most of the accidents caused by 2 major problems

 

1. Driver error: Driving way to fast on road that they dont know, I have driven on these mountain roads for years and no every bend, but I would never try some of the stupid stunts that you see. The speed limit over here is 85 mph on the motor way yet we regularly see british cars pass us doing over 100 mph and coaches doing 70 MPH with the driver othe phone

 

2. Incorrect tyres: All weather tyres are fine in the rest of Europe but in the Alps you need winter tyres, it really pisses me off when I see coaches and cars stuck on mountain roads because they have the wrong tyres and no snow chains. The weather here can change by the hour we have just had 8 days of up to 20 Degrees during the day dropping to -6 in the evening yet people still think they can drive the same on a mountain road.

 

The worst days are Sat & Sun when people are heading home because of the narrow roads out of the mountains traffic jams can last for hours, drivers then try to make up the time they have lost by speeding, hence this tragic accident least weekend.

 

Are you an accident investigator? You've pretty much decided, before the inquests, who is guilty and what they're guilty of. Your opinion seems, at best, to be a sweeping judgement of all accidents. Let's wait for the experts eh?

there was one some years ago with a trip from St. james' Farnworth. Three of my daughters friends were killed. Fortunately for us our daughter was on another trip at the time. It seemed to take ages for both parties to get back. I couldn't settle and just kept bursting into tears.

I'm not saying it was the drivers fault in either crashes, but there should be multiple drivers on trips like these.

The roads and safety barriers out here are 100% better than in the UK,

 

as above there was no safety barrier at the end of the escape lane. in an OCD moment I actually checked google streetview

 

so I'd say thats bollocks

Irrelevant of who's to blame, I don't like these double decker coaches. My mother always told me, never go upstairs at the front. Seeing the photo of the coach, she was right.

 

Some woman at work has said she'd not let her daughter go on one. I asked if she'll not be allowed to get a bus to school then. I had some great PGL holibobs as a kid & feel sorry for hers if she won't allow that.

that wall scares the shit out of me.

 

 

jesus christ, that cant be the first time a vehicle has crashed into that wall

Fcuk me. First images I've seen of it.

 

Why oh why wasn't that wall built at an angle and tapered so that there could never be a head-on impact. Madness.

Sad irony that they crased into the emergency exit, the signs above that door show it was an escape route

that's incredibly bad design I can't believe there isn't some sort of crash barier in place, as Franny says, other vehicles must have crashed into that before now.

That's got to be the worst bit of tunnel design in the world.

I could see how a driver could mistake that for the road way

 

Missus c you and I have differant opinions, I now do not want M going to France

Fcuk me. First images I've seen of it.

 

Why oh why wasn't that wall built at an angle and tapered so that there could never be a head-on impact. Madness.

Same here - utterly, utterly demented that you'd build summat like that!