Death crash blamed on human error

By JIMMY KALEBE
A road accident which took seven lives at Nasuapum outside Lae on Saturday morning resulted from human error, says acting Mamose land transport division manager Thomas Alai.
He said it was an unfortunate accident which had claimed the lives of a whole family and others.
“It is beyond our control and some people do not seem to have enough rest when taking the wheel,” Alai said.
“Other errors may include mechanical faults in vehicles when people do not check regularly to see if their vehicles are road worthy.
“These little things can add to road accidents.”
Alai said drivers may think that having a nap was enough but that was totally wrong as the human body would not be fully alert at all times, especially when on a long journey or rushing.
Asked about the tulait-tualit (dusk-to-dawn) PMV bus service on the Highlands Highway, Alai said authorities had banned that practice but people tended to neglect it and that had also contributed to accidents.
“We can be out there to enforce some of these laws but again, it is (lack of) manpower and logistics that is posing a barrier for the authorities to actually enforce the laws.”
Alai urged drivers to learn from past accidents and observe road safety rules to avoid nasty road accidents.
He said drink-driving was the main cause of the Nasuapum accident.
Meanwhile, Alai has called on all companies to consult the Works Department before transporting heavy earth-moving equipment over bridges.
He made the call after the collapse of Banab Bridge on the north coast highway in Madang.
“The bridge would not have collapsed if they had consulted the Works Department to verify how much load the bridge could carry as its original weight limit has decreased over the years with its structure rusting away.”