We all could have been on the Chongqing bus

On Friday morning, the local police of Chongqing municipality announced the results of their investigation into the accident of a bus plunging into the Yangtze River on Sunday, which left 13 people dead and two missing. It was caused by a fight between an angry passenger and the bus driver.

The local press release explained in detail how the fight began. The passenger, surnamed Liu, failed to get off at the right bus stop and realized it minutes later. She asked the driver, surnamed Ran, to stop the bus and let her get off, but he refused.

A quarrel then ensued, with both sides using harsh words. Five minutes later, Liu attacked Ran on the head with her smartphone, and Ran fought back with his right hand, which left the steering wheel. Within two seconds, he returned his hand, but it was too late – he had lost control of the bus. It crossed the middle line of the road, hit a red car in its proper lane, and fell into the river.

The rest of the story is already known. Thus far, the local search team is still searching for the two missing people.

The local police said both the passenger and the driver are suspected of violating public security. However, considering the high likelihood that both were killed in the accident, the judicial process might never begin.

It seems some people do not care about either their own lives or other people's lives. It is very basic common sense that the lives and security of the whole bus depend upon the driver, but Liu attacked the driver because of something that was her own fault.

Liu is not the only person committing such an irresponsible move. A simple search on micro blog, China's equivalent to Twitter, shows at least a dozen cases in the past five years, in which a passenger attacked the bus driver or tried to take hold of the steering wheel by force. They did not cause accidents, but the suspects were either detained for criminal charges or found guilty by the court.

Besides, the driver Ran in the case is not so professional when being attacked. As the individual responsible for the whole bus, he should have stopped the bus by the roadside to ensure safety while under assault. It was extremely reckless to fight back. That's why the local police said he was also suspected of a crime.

There might not be a judicial process against Liu and Ran, but a more detailed probe is needed so that people learn from their mistakes and avoid repeating them. The 13 innocent victims are random persons, and they could have been any one of us.