Sharjah: A few days ago, I came across a sight that left me worried and scared. I saw a minibus that was packed with small children. One of the children was continuously trying to open the window and when she couldn’t succeed, she stood on the seat and finally managed to open it. This scene horrified me. It could have been extremely dangerous if the bus was moving at a fast speed, because she was clearly not wearing a seat belt.
I also noticed that the caretaker on the bus prevented the child from opening the window but this child continued to try while she wasn’t looking. In fact, her friend also joined in. Once the window was open, there was the risk of the child falling out as she was standing on her seat. If an accident had occurred, the blame would directly go to the caretaker.
Schools need to take certain measures for this. They should lock all the windows on their buses and teach children or show them how risky it is to be standing in a moving bus. It is also the parents’ responsibility to explain to their children the importance of safety when on the bus, teach them to obey the caretaker and the driver, and most importantly, maintain discipline in the bus. I hope all schools and parents look into this issue.
— The reader is a pupil based in Sharjah.
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