Statistics from the police show that 46 passengers were injured in bus accidents in 2016, 39 in 2017, and 58 last year. But in 2019 there have been 51 victims in the first seven months of this year.

Rudolf Kiviking, a bus driver at Tallinna Linnatranspordi AS, told (link in Estonian) AK the increase in accidents had arisen because of driving on the part of other road vehicles and because of people using smart phones.

The bus driver said he has noticed careless and sudden manoeuvres by other road users in front of buses on the streets of Tallinn. Kiviking said the junction at Kriistine was causing many problems and collisions between cars and buses.

He also thinks that many accidents arise because standing passengers do not hold on to handrails when they use their phones. In the event of an accident or the bus suddenly breaking they are more likely to be injured.

Head of Emergency Medicine at the Regional Hospital, Dr Kristiina Põllu, says that older people are most likely to be injured on bus journeys. The main injuries that they receive are concussion and other blows to the head or back, and minor fractures such as broken wrists.

AK said there had been at least seven reported incidences of passengers being injured on bus journeys in the last two weeks across the country. On Aug. 21 a 91-year-old man was injured after falling on a bus in Tallinn and later died in hospital.

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