The longitudinal berths in the sleeper buses make it extremely unsafe for passengers in case of accidents, especially head-on collisions, says Dr. Dinakar Rai, Head of the Department of Orthopaedics, PSG Hospitals.
Further, Dinakar Rai said that “the spine of the victim lying in longitudinal position in the bus is at significant risk of severe injury due to axial compression from the impact of a head-on collision.”
“It is compounded by the fact that the body of the victim will be thrown against the hard barrier that separates the front or the back berth during a head-on collision further increasing the severity of the injury. There are no seat belt-like restraints in the sleeper berths,” the doctor emphasised.
Moreover, he mentioned, “The configuration of berths makes the evacuation of victims that much more difficult in comparison to a sitting bus.”
“Safety-wise it is much better to travel by a semi-recliner sitting bus rather than a sleeper bus,” Dinakar Rai advised.
