Driver’s inexperience led to Valparai tragedy, says MVD report

A report by the Motor Vehicles department (MVD) has held the driver of the tempo traveller van responsible for the devastating accident at Valparai, Tamil Nadu, on April 17 that claimed 10 lives.

The report, submitted to the High Court by the enforcement wing of the Regional Transport Office (RTO) here, concluded that the driver’s lack of experience in negotiating hill roads and ghat sections was the principal cause of the tragedy.

Ten of the 12 occupants of an excursion van from Pang near Malappuram died when the vehicle veered off the road and plunged about 300 feet at the 13th hairpin bend on the Valparai ghat road. The victims included teachers and staff members of GLP School, Pang, who were on a recreational trip.

The findings were placed before the High Court during the hearing of a suo motu case relating to illegal vehicle modifications.

According to the report, the driver failed to adopt the standard safety practices required for driving on steep mountain roads and through a series of hairpin bends. Instead of shifting to lower gears and using engine braking to regulate speed, he relied almost exclusively on the vehicle’s braking system.

The continuous application of the brakes caused excessive heating of the brake liners, resulting in brake fade and the eventual loss of braking efficiency.

With the braking system compromised, the driver was unable to maintain control of the vehicle as it approached a bend, leading to the fatal plunge, the report said.

The report also pointed to deficiencies in roadside safety infrastructure, noting that the concrete crash barrier at the accident site lacked sufficient height and strength to prevent a vehicle from breaching it and falling off the cliff.