According to Transport Minister Karim Ghellab, the recent horror crashes at Benguerir and Berrechid were caused by driver error.
As we reported earlier,("Bus crash - 12 dead") the first accident occurred, on Saturday near the central city of Benguerir on the main road linking Casablanca to Marrakech, when a bus collided head-on with a truck. The accident claimed 13 casualties, including 9 foreigners, and injuring 24 others.
The second accident took place, on Monday, claiming eight causalities and injured 22 others, when a bus overturned in the central Moroccan town of Berrechid, near Settat (157km south of Rabat).
The preliminary accident report indicates that the vehicles (coach and truck), which caused the two accidents, were in "excellent mechanical shape".
The Moroccan Ambassador to Paris, Fathallah Sijilmassi, said in an interview on the French Radio Europe 1, that Morocco has implemented an action plan to boost road security by reinforcing traffic laws and toughening technical control of vehicles.
However, Minister Ghellab stated that four technical inspection centers have been recently shut down. He also noted that road accidents victim figures decreased by 11.7% in 2005 and the annual toll of over 3,800 persons costs the state USD 1.3 billion, i.e. 2.5% of the GDP, according to last year’s official figures.
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