If you were to drive a bus up the arch of a bridge, causing a 10km traffic jam, you’d probably be concerned about getting slapped with a hefty fine. Apparently, you’d be worrying over nothing.
This was the scene in Cần Thơ on Monday after a Phương Trang bus carrying 30 passengers narrowly avoided an accident with a truck as it crossed the Láng Sen Bridge.
Trần Thanh Tùng, captain of Vĩnh Thạnh Ward’s traffic police, told VN Express that the truck and the bus were travelling in opposite directions as they approached the bridge when the latter tried to cross first. The bus driver’s last-ditch maneuver pushed part of the bus over the bridge’s arch while another section rested against the side of the truck.
While no injuries were reported, the accident caused a 10km traffic jam on the bridge and nearby roads until 8am when the vehicles were cleared from the site.
According to Thanh Nien, the bus driver has been fined VND350,000 for “failing to give way.”
For comparisons sake, failing to activate your turn signal while changing directions on your motorbike carries a VND200,000 – VND400,000 fine.
The Phương Trang bus company was untimely the loser in the incident (in addition to anyone who was forced to wait in traffic for hours) as it had to pay VND5 million for repairs to the truck involved in the incident.