The Tibet Information Network (TIN) reported June 14 that road travel in Tibet has become dramatically more dangerous in recent years because of several factors including unsealed roads, inexperienced drivers and the conditions under which the drivers must work. Many tour companies put heavy pressure on drivers to return on time so the vehicles can be ready for the next tour, then allow the drivers little time between jobs to recuperate. Often the vehicles are not suited for Tibet’s rough roads and the quest for profit puts tourists at risk. TIN cited as an example an accident that occurred last year. A tour that was supposed to be in two jeeps but used a minibus instead, increasing profits, carried seven tourists, a Tibetan driver and guide. The van plummeted into a ravine when the driver fell asleep, killing five of the tourists. A seriously injured German woman was sent back to Lhasa where medical facilities and treatment are inadequate, and she almost died because of the treatment. The driver was later sentenced to death for falling asleep at the wheel, but the company bore no responsibility. The way local tour companies operate makes more such accidents likely.
