Always be on the lookout for young passengers

A BOY died of heatstroke after he was trapped in a van parked under the afternoon sun for several hours in Rawang last Friday, “Boy, six, dies after being left alone in van” ( The Star, April 24).

Upon reaching a destination to pick up or drop off children, the driver must get down from the vehicle and open the door for the young passengers to get in or out.

If the van driver had done that, he would have noticed the boy who had fallen asleep on the back seat.

Any caring parent, guardian or driver would not have allowed young children to open or close the vehicle’s doors.

It looks like this van driver not only did not get down from the vehicle, he also did not bother to count the number of children alighting at the kindergarten before driving away.

The 21-year-old driver is being investigated under Section 31 (1) of the Child Act 2001 for negligence. The van may also be impounded if it was used to carry passengers for a fee without being licensed to do so.

To prevent such tragedies from recurring, the Malaysian School Bus Association Alliance should advise school bus and van drivers to always check the back seats for children who may have fallen asleep or belongings left behind as part of the standard operating procedure before driving off from the last drop-off point.

The safety practices adopted by licensed school bus and van drivers would be noticed by all and many unlicensed van and private vehicle drivers would try to emulate these.

Children should also be taught to think about their safety when travelling in school buses or vans, especially when and how to get off the vehicles and into the school safely. Y. S CHAN Kuala Lumpur