Bereaved mother calls for road safety after daughter killed by bus

Taipei, Sept. 26 (CNA) The mother of the Tunghai University student recently killed by a bus while she was crossing a road in Taichung demanded an overhaul to the city's road system on Wednesday to ensure pedestrian safety.

"I don't want to see children having to put on body armor to protect themselves when walking in the streets," the mother of the deceased student surnamed Lin (林) said in a statement mourning the death of her daughter.

Also read: Taichung mayor announces 5 measures after bus kills pedestrian

"I hope this accident will serve as a prompt for the city government to strengthen road safety and fully safeguard pedestrians' right of way ... so that my child did not die in vain," Lin's mother said.

The woman urged municipal authorities to conduct a thorough review of traffic signals in the area to avoid a similar accident happening again.

She also expressed the hope that the bus operator, Geya Bus Transportation Company, would improve its work environment and on-the-job training so that drivers are able to perform their tasks professionally and safely.

Lin, 20, was killed by a bus when walking on a pedestrian crossing in Taichung's Central District on Sunday night. Another Tunghai University student surnamed Wang (王), 21, was also injured in the accident.

The driver of the bus that struck the students was released on bail of NT$10,000 (US$313) after being interrogated by prosecutors on suspicion of involuntary manslaughter on Monday.

Earlier on Wednesday, the Taiwan Vision Zero Alliance called for an end to such tragedies at a news conference that various Tunghai University student representatives attended.

Holding placards that read "widen pedestrian crossings, implement traffic safety, stop at street intersections, and students want safety," people called on Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) to adopt concrete measures to achieve the aims.

A student surnamed Lu (呂) contended overworked drivers, low salaries, and inadequately designed pedestrian crossings all attribute to the dangers pedestrians face in the streets of Taichung.

Another student surnamed Chen (陳) said the focus should not just be on "people" changing their behavior, but that more must be done to ensure the areas pedestrians walk in are safe.