Police investigate the scene of a fatal car crash on Castle Peak Road in Hong Kong Friday. Six people riding in a taxi died in a head-on collision with a container truck. China Daily

HONG KONG: A traffic collision claimed the lives of five construction workers and a taxi driver in Lok Ma Chau Friday morning. The victims died instantly when their vehicle collided head-on with a truck that flipped over on its side and crushed the taxi.

The fatal crash caused some to call into question the adequacy of the current drunk-driving penalty as a deterrent.

The 42-year-old truck driver, who suffered minor injuries, was arrested on suspicion of drunk-driving and dangerous driving causing death. The suspect failed a breathalyzer test, which showed his alcohol reading exceeded four times of the 20-microgram limit, according to police.

The crash happened at 7:10 am when the medium goods vehicle, driving along the Chau Tau section of Castle Peak Road towards Lok Ma Chau, collided head-on with a taxi traveling in the opposite lane.

Police said the taxi was dragged about 50 meters. The truck tipped on its side and the taxi was crushed beneath.

Traffic Branch Headquarters Chief Superintendent Michael Demaid-Groves suspected the truck was on the wrong side of the road when the collision occurred.

Li Hong-man, Acting Superintendent Investigation & Support Division of the New Territories North Traffic Headquarters, said the police would probe the health of the drivers, speed at the time of the crash and the mechanical condition of both vehicles.

Road Safety Council member Mong Hoi-keung said drunk drivers are retarded in judgment and response time. "They may misjudge a straight road as curving and they may drive in the wrong direction," Mong added.

The victims of the crash ranged in age from 30 to 54.

The taxi driver died of severe head injury while the construction workers succumbed to multiple fractures.

The workers shared a taxi to the worksite in Lo Wu everyday. It was their last working day before Chinese New Year.

Most of the dead were fathers of young children and the bread winners of their families. The Social Welfare and Home Affairs departments issued each family a gratuity of HK$18,000. The employer of the five construction workers also promised to extend each family a gratuity of HK$60,000.

The gratuity does not remove or relieve the grief.

"Money cannot buy back my brother's life. He planned to marry next year. What can we do now?" the sister of one victim asked.

Chief Executive Donald Tsang visited the scene and pledged to offer assistance to the victims' families.

"We will handle the case seriously, according to legal proceedings. I call on drivers not to drive after drinking," he expressed deep consolation to the families.

Meantime, the families called for more stringent drinking-driving legislation.

"We strongly condemn the drunk driver and demand the government punish reckless drivers severely," Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims said, in issuing a statement in support of the victims' families.

Tsang in response said the law, which was amended last year, will impose strong penalties with deterrence in mind.

The amended law, under which convicted drunk-drivers will lose their licenses for at least three months on their first offence, would take effect February 9. Police are authorized to conduct random breathalyzer tests.

Last July, the maximum term of imprisonment for dangerous driving causing death increased from five to ten years.

Vice chairman of the Legislative Council Transport Panel Andrew Cheng called for a longer disqualification period.

"It will be more of a deterrent if drivers know they will lose the licenses for so long that their living will be jeopardized," he said.

In 2008, 82 accidents resulting in injuries or deaths involved drunk driving. Among 39,000 required to submit to breathalyzer tests, 1,490 drivers were prosecuted. The trend has been moving upward since 2005.

(HK Edition 01/24/2009 page1)