Title: Road tanker-bus rear impact collision with four fatalities investigation report

Authors: Thomas G. Chondros

Addresses: Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics Department, University of Patras, 265 00, Patras, Greece

Abstract: On June 26 2006, a 55-passenger motorcoach, operated by a local food-industry and carrying 14 passengers, was travelling on the two-lane national road EO-90 Chania-Iraklion westbound, in the island of Creta, Greece. The same day, a road tanker consisting of a two-axle tractor and a three-axle semitrailer aluminium tanker, loaded with JETA1 fuel was travelling westbound on the same national road. As the bus approached milepost 64.7 km, it slowed down to the right side of the highway until a secondary stop, for a passenger to depart, and while restarting the oncoming road tanker collided at the bus back. Three passengers and the truck driver were killed, and six passengers received serious injuries. The accident investigation and reconstruction in accordance with the application of the European Agreement Concerning the International Carriage of Dangerous Goods by Road (ADR), and the criteria which could be adopted to judge risk acceptability, are discussed.

Keywords: road tankers; buses; rear collisions; accident reconstruction; dangerous goods; hazardous materials; ADR; vehicle collisions; vehicle crashes; road accidents; heavy vehicles; coaches; fuel transportation; risk acceptability; risk assessment; vehicle safety; road safety.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHVS.2010.035996

International Journal of Heavy Vehicle Systems, 2010 Vol.17 No.3/4, pp.407 - 441

Published online: 11 Oct 2010 *

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