Why I would never ride in a double decker bus in Brazil

A double decker bus enroute from Curitiba to Rio de Janeiro rolled down an embankment just outside of São Lourenço da Serra - SP on the Régis Bittencourt Highway (BR-116), more commonly known as the "Highway of Death". The crash left 14 dead and 32 injured. This first photo is what the bus looked like following the fatal crash. You couldn't even tell that it originally had a second level since it has been completely crushed, leaving no visual evidence that it was ever there. It is beyond me how these vehicles can operate anywhere in the world given that they offer absolutely no protection whatsoever to the passengers of the upper level. There are no protective roll bars that would prevent the complete structural collapse of the second level that we see here in the photo.

This photo shows how the vehicle should have appeared before the roll over. It isn't a big leap of logic to assume that the vast majority of the fatalities, if not all of them, were passengers on the upper level of the bus. Apart from the fact that there is no structural protection these buses, by virtue of their added height, are much more prone to roll over accidents due to a much higher center of gravity. They are also very much more difficult to control since they are in effect a rolling wall effected much more severely by cross-wind conditions and at highway speeds this can be deadly.

So, if you're planning on travel within Brazil in the near future I would highly recommend that you avoid doing so on a double decker bus at all costs. They may look pretty snazzy, but to my way of thinking they're death traps on wheels. Stick to conventional buses which are at least a little bit safer.

My sincere condolences to the families and friends of all those who lost their lives in this accident and my wishes for a speedy recovery to all those injured.

Cheers,
William James Woodward - Brazil & Canada Expert, Expat-blog Team