Bus in China plunges off bridge after passenger fights with driver

[bcla]

Apparently the passenger was angry with the driver after he missed her stop, and started hitting him with her mobile phone. Video recovered from the bus’s cameras showed the interaction, and there’s dashcam video showing the bus going off the bridge.

http://time.com/5442921/china-bus-plunge-bridge/

I can’t figure out how anyone would get that angry.

 

[Oliviaxxx]

Awful.

 

[bcla]

Here’s just the video of the interaction and the dashcam video together with audio. It’s going to be hard to figure out why it happened. He makes a quick veer to the right, then almost a full rotation to the left. Makes no sense why he would do it.

 

[Southernmiss]

Makes no sense why the passenger would attack the driver.

 

[emer95]

Horrible! I saw it on the Today show this morning, and it has been on my mind all day. Horrific that we’re watching their last moments alive.

 

[bcla]

Here’s just the video of the interaction and the dashcam video together with audio. It’s going to be hard to figure out why it happened. He makes a quick veer to the right, then almost a full rotation to the left. Makes no sense why he would do it.

I started thinking about it, and it looks like he might be spinning out and trying to recover by "turning into the skid". It looks like a typical rear-wheel drive bus.

 

[jerseygal]

So horrific and tragic. Saw it on the news also

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I started thinking about it, and it looks like he might be spinning out and trying to recover by "turning into the skid". It looks like a typical rear-wheel drive bus.

I don't see any evidence of a skid of the rear wheels left to warrant that kind of correction.

Looks to me like he did it on purpose possibly hoping to knock her off her feet either not knowing where in fact he was on that road or not knowing that barrier couldn't remotely hold that bus.

 

[Happyinwonerland]

why on earth would someone attack the driver of their vehicle like that? If you want to fight them, wait until your life isn't literally in their hands!

 

[bcla]

I don't see any evidence of a skid of the rear wheels left to warrant that kind of correction.

Looks to me like he did it on purpose possibly hoping to knock her off her feet either not knowing where in fact he was on that road or not knowing that barrier couldn't remotely hold that bus.

Just my own hare-brained theory. Apparently a lot of the discussion in China was that the driver might have been suicidal. I thought that I saw it spinning out already, but it's really difficult to tell. It's pretty obvious he gives the wheel a full turn left and keeps it there.

The other interesting thing is that bus drivers often don't wear a distinctive uniform. I've traveled by bus in China, and a lot of drivers could easily be mistaken for their passengers.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I heard about this and wondered why on earth a passenger would fight with a bus driver especially when driving over a bridge! What was she thinking??

 

[bcla]

I heard about this and wondered why on earth a passenger would fight with a bus driver especially when driving over a bridge! What was she thinking??

Have you ever been to China? Just as a tourist I've seen some of the most irrational behavior anywhere among the locals. There's video showing various interactions between passengers and bus drivers where the passenger starts attacking the driver for missing a stop. I saw one where it was done right in front of a uniformed police officer, who jumps in to separate her immediately. Others have grabbed the steering wheel in an attempt to get the driver to stop. There's also cases where the driver was kicked while driving.

It doesn't make any sense but after talking to someone originally from China, there's often a belief that nothing of consequence is going to happen if one gets caught, or that they won't even try. This person said often police on the scene sit around and do nothing.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

But even if you aren't worried about police intervening, surely anyone should be able to see that even distracting the driver WHILE GOING OVER A BRIDGE is not a good idea! Police might not respond, but gravity ALWAYS does!

 

[ChrisFL]

Have you ever been to China? Just as a tourist I've seen some of the most irrational behavior anywhere among the locals. There's video showing various interactions between passengers and bus drivers where the passenger starts attacking the driver for missing a stop. I saw one where it was done right in front of a uniformed police officer, who jumps in to separate her immediately. Others have grabbed the steering wheel in an attempt to get the driver to stop. There's also cases where the driver was kicked while driving.

It doesn't make any sense but after talking to someone originally from China, there's often a belief that nothing of consequence is going to happen if one gets caught, or that they won't even try. This person said often police on the scene sit around and do nothing.

Yep, there's a LOT of very odd behavior we get to see nowadays that social media shows it, and also that a LOT of Chinese are newly wealthy and don't have generations of living a modern setting, therefore they still have behaviors of living in a much poorer lifestyle.

There's a severe lack of what we'd consider manners, the notion of waiting in line, following signs, etc.

Of course there's many Chinese who aren't like this, but in a country with 1.3 billion people and an economy that's taken off in the past 20 years, this kind of thing is bound to happen.

Side note, one of the quirky things I saw recently was a video from the YouTube channel Theme Park Worldwide at Shanghai Disneyland. There was a lady selling (presumably knock-off) Mickey and Minnie ears WHILE IN LINE for a ride!! The youtuber was capturing it all on video and no one seemed to care. They even have security guards stationed around queues to prevent line jumping. While I'd like to visit Shanghai someday, I'll stick to Tokyo and Hong Kong for now.

 

[bcla]

Yep, there's a LOT of very odd behavior we get to see nowadays that social media shows it, and also that a LOT of Chinese are newly wealthy and don't have generations of living a modern setting, therefore they still have behaviors of living in a much poorer lifestyle.

There's a severe lack of what we'd consider manners, the notion of waiting in line, following signs, etc.

Of course there's many Chinese who aren't like this, but in a country with 1.3 billion people and an economy that's taken off in the past 20 years, this kind of thing is bound to happen.

Side note, one of the quirky things I saw recently was a video from the YouTube channel Theme Park Worldwide at Shanghai Disneyland. There was a lady selling (presumably knock-off) Mickey and Minnie ears WHILE IN LINE for a ride!! The youtuber was capturing it all on video and no one seemed to care. They even have security guards stationed around queues to prevent line jumping. While I'd like to visit Shanghai someday, I'll stick to Tokyo and Hong Kong for now.

China isn't particularly monolithic. However, I know a lot of people from China as well as ethnic Chinese not from mainland China. Many are embarrassed about bad behavior uncovered by cameras and social media that paints China as some place where manners and rules don't apply or aren't enforced.

I've actually been in China where I witnessed line jumping. There was a bit of arguing, but eventually people seemed to be resigned to the idea that they couldn't really do anything about it.

It's a small, but very visible minority that's doing this sort of thing. I've heard it explained that often it's people from the countryside who are poor, but that can't explain such behavior completely. And there are the nouveau riche engaging in anger derived from self-importance.

I mean - there's no lack of bad behavior all around the world. However, usually we think of such acts as the responsibility of the mentally ill. I've never heard of someone attacking a bus driver in the US or Canada out of routine anger.

 

[AurumPunzel]

China isn't particularly monolithic. However, I know a lot of people from China as well as ethnic Chinese not from mainland China. Many are embarrassed about bad behavior uncovered by cameras and social media that paints China as some place where manners and rules don't apply or aren't enforced.

I've actually been in China where I witnessed line jumping. There was a bit of arguing, but eventually people seemed to be resigned to the idea that they couldn't really do anything about it.

It's a small, but very visible minority that's doing this sort of thing. I've heard it explained that often it's people from the countryside who are poor, but that can't explain such behavior completely. And there are the nouveau riche engaging in anger derived from self-importance.

I mean - there's no lack of bad behavior all around the world. However, usually we think of such acts as the responsibility of the mentally ill. I've never heard of someone attacking a bus driver in the US or Canada out of routine anger.

I thought China was supposed to be a country of law and order, especially given how surveillance hungry Beijing are, not to mention that they're planning a Black Mirror-esque social credit rating system that rates citizens on behaviour, even though the system has already been scrutinised on the grounds that there are concerns that such a system can fuel social apartheid, even for minor subjective behaviour such as buying crates of Tsingtao instead of nappies (diapers) for their children.

Side note, one of the quirky things I saw recently was a video from the YouTube channel Theme Park Worldwide at Shanghai Disneyland. There was a lady selling (presumably knock-off) Mickey and Minnie ears WHILE IN LINE for a ride!! The youtuber was capturing it all on video and no one seemed to care. They even have security guards stationed around queues to prevent line jumping. While I'd like to visit Shanghai someday, I'll stick to Tokyo and Hong Kong for now.

I honestly thought the arrival of Shanghai Disneyland (and Disney Store China) would have resulted in a clampdown on counterfeiting Disney merchandise, but given China's flagrant disregard for international copyright and IP law, it's unsurprising that it's still going unpunished.

 

[bcla]

I thought China was supposed to be a country of law and order, especially given how surveillance hungry Beijing are, not to mention that they're planning a Black Mirror-esque social credit rating system that rates citizens on behaviour, even though the system has already been scrutinised on the grounds that there are concerns that such a system can fuel social apartheid, even for minor subjective behaviour such as buying crates of Tsingtao instead of nappies (diapers) for their children.

China is kind of in an odd situation. The government certainly doesn't like things that they feel are "against the public order" and can be reactive when there's something that captures the public's attention. Certainly don't protest against the government.

However, they don't necessarily enforce all their laws effectively. Building standards are poorly enforced. People routinely don't follow traffic laws. There's also well known corruption. A lot of people believe (rightly or wrongly) that they can get away with activities they know are illegal.

Not sure why anyone would wail away at a bus driver though. There's also enough people who do things they know are clearly wrong but where they don't care as long as they're angry. There's plenty of surveillance video showing adults who were mildly aggrieved by a child, but then kicked/beat/tripped the child in a manner out of line with the fault.

Also - several bus companies in China have been discussing adding partitions in buses and encouraging drivers to not interact with passengers while driving. I don't know about the effectiveness of these partitions though since it's still open in the front. The light rail systems around where I am have a full compartment with a door. There might be a window where the operator can hand out proof of payment/transfers, but that typically only happens when the vehicle is at a complete stop.

https://www.whatsonweibo.com/nanjin...uses-introduces-grievance-awards-for-drivers/

 

[ChrisFL]

China isn't particularly monolithic. However, I know a lot of people from China as well as ethnic Chinese not from mainland China. Many are embarrassed about bad behavior uncovered by cameras and social media that paints China as some place where manners and rules don't apply or aren't enforced.

I've actually been in China where I witnessed line jumping. There was a bit of arguing, but eventually people seemed to be resigned to the idea that they couldn't really do anything about it.

It's a small, but very visible minority that's doing this sort of thing. I've heard it explained that often it's people from the countryside who are poor, but that can't explain such behavior completely. And there are the nouveau riche engaging in anger derived from self-importance.

I mean - there's no lack of bad behavior all around the world. However, usually we think of such acts as the responsibility of the mentally ill. I've never heard of someone attacking a bus driver in the US or Canada out of routine anger.

I've witnessed my own bad behavior in my visits to Hong Kong and Tokyo. My HK friends pointed out mainlanders and were quite upset with line skipping, etc. and I ran into a group of rowdy chinese tourists in a shop in Tokyo (I could tell because they were showing their chinese passports for discounts and it's pretty clear the massive difference in manners to local Japanese people)