What would have been a day in paradise turned into a deadly situation when a shuttle bus crashed into cruise ship guests on the Honolulu Harbor Pier. The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services said it is important for drivers to have the proper training and licensing to prevent accidents from happening.
HONOLULU (Island News) – What would have been a day in paradise turned into a deadly situation when a shuttle bus crashed into cruise ship guests on the Honolulu Harbor Pier.
The City and County of Honolulu’s Department of Customer Services said it is important for drivers to have the proper training and licensing to prevent accidents from happening.
“If a vehicle carries 16 or more passengers, a CDL class C license is required. And the reason why it is required is it ensures that a commercial driver is equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to operate a vehicle safely and effectively,” said Kim Hashiro, the director of the department.
It takes about four to six weeks to get a commercial drivers license (CDL). Within the first few weeks you must pass a general knowledge test and an air brakes test, which shows you know how to use the braking system on the bus. Once you pass the tests, you get a CDL permit and begin the behind the wheel training.
TJ Madden, the president and senior lead CDL instructor at the Hawaii CDL Academy said with the training, drivers should be able to anticipate and prevent any types of accidents.
“If the equipment was faulty, it's still the driver's responsibility because they have to do a precheck, they have to catch those things. People are always cutting out in front of us, things always happen so we have to be alert at all times,” said Madden. “It's unfortunate and it's a very very hard stance. I'm not pointing at anyone, but anyone who's in this industry knows that it's always the responsibility of the driver mitigating other circumstances.”
Honolulu Police say at this time there are no updates as they are still investigating the situation.
Hashiro said going forward, drivers with CDLs should be continuing their education on safe practices and updating the technology in their vehicles.
