Report 2014/01
Road traffic report 2014/01
On Friday night, 22 February 2013 was the bus from Lavprisekspressen driving from Oslo to Trondheim. In a left turn on the E6 approx. 1 km south of Dombås the coach drove off the road. The driver fell asleep and was unable to avoid the accident when he noticed that the coach strayed off the road. There were twenty passengers on board and only five of these were using seatbelts. The accident resulted in one person being seriously injured and nine passengers suffering minor injuries. The investigation has shown that the driver had insufficient sleep before the drive. Unibuss Ekspress AS had not established any routines for specific follow-up or verification that the driver was suited and sufficiently rested to drive night routes. Nor has the company documented that it had mapped hazards and assessed the risk in connection with night driving and working alone prior to the accident. The investigation has also revealed that the bus company educates their drivers in accident preparedness and fire extinguishing, but no procedures or routines for how drivers should handle coach evacuation existed. The AIBN has made one safety recommendation based on this investigation.
Safety recommendation
Safety recommendation ROAD no. 2014/01T
When the bus overturned, the passengers remained in the bus as the driver gave no order to evacuate. Beyond the training given with taking the Dovrekurset course, Unibuss Ekspress AS had not prepared procedures/routines or checklists for the driver to use in serious incidents and evacuation of the bus. The AIBN believes that it is important that the bus company focuses on the importance of rapid evacuation and that Unibuss Ekspress AS establishes clear guidelines for how drivers should handle such situations.
The Accident Investigation Board Norway recommends that Unibuss Ekspress AS should prepare better routines for handling situations where passenger evacuation is necessary.
Facts
| Location | E6 near Dombås, Oppland |
| Occurrence date | 22.02.2013 |
| Accident type | Run-off-the-road accident |
| Road class | European road |
| County | Oppland |
| Police Disctrict | Gudbransdal |
| Vehicle type | Bus or coach |
| Type of Transportation | Passenger transport |
| Road region | Eastern Region |
| Accident category | Accident with bus |