Accident a call for action to protect kids

The death of eight kindergarten students in an accident in Xiangtan, Hunan province, on Thursday is both shocking and tragic. The minivan carrying the children home from school in the mountainous region skidded off the road and plunged into a pond, killing all 11 occupants including two teachers and the driver.

This is not the first accident of its kind. Going by media reports, more than a dozen "grave accidents" involving school buses or minivans have taken place in the country in the past four years. These accidents have not only claimed dozens of young lives, but also left scores of children permanently disabled and their families living in pain.

A look into the accidents reveals some common features: most of them have taken place in rural areas and involved overloaded vehicles and untrained drivers. For example, the minivan in Xiangtan was carrying 11 people when it had the standard capacity for only seven, and the driver didn't have enough experience of driving in mountainous terrains.