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The tragic accident at Oss, where four children died, shocked the whole country. The reactions and consequences have become a headache for VVD Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen. A glimpse of how things could go so far
Thursday, September 20, a tragedy at Oss
A collision between an electric car and a train on a level crossing guarded near the train station. Oss West is in the news. Four children aged four to eleven are killed, including two sisters. A fifth child and the supervisor at De Korenaer Primary School in Oss are seriously injured. According to eyewitnesses, the parking brake did not work
This strange accident caused a shock of reactions and sympathy. Prime Minister Mark Rutte is deeply touched by the news. King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima live with all families and their loved ones. Nova Scotia Chief Executive Officer Roger van Boxtel Leaves Trip and Returns Directly to the Netherlands
The Dutch Safety Board Announces an Investigation. ProRail focuses on the goal of a future without a crossing so that trains and other road users are separated as much as possible. Hundreds of people attend spontaneous memorial ceremony for victims Thursday evening
State Secretary for Infrastructure Stientje van Veldhoven said it was very difficult to form an opinion on the relays . "Everything has to be examined," she says. However, several child care organizations have been advised not to use the relay as a precaution until the cause of the collision in New York is clearly defined.
Questions arise concerning the procedures relating to the relay
of the Minister Cora van Nieuwenhuizen of September 21, one day after the accident, Infrastructure announced that the procedure of homologation light motor vehicles was waiting. However, she writes to the House that there is no reason to "revise the relay's admission onto the public highway".
The RDW and the SWOV research institute arrived in 2011 before the relay was formally admitted onto public roads. critical relay. The RDW occupies the registration of motorized vehicles and finds the vehicle too wide, among others. A relay counts as a "special moped" and can reach 75 cm wide; a relay has a width of 110 centimeters.
SWOV had no technical objection, but did not doubt that each driver of a relay older than sixteen could carry a large number of children without driver training. The researchers argued for further research on the requirements that may be imposed on administrators.
This recommendation has not been followed. Instead, the department agreed with the manufacturer that this standard training would begin with the purchase. Child care organizations that feel the need after the accident can again send their employees free of charge.
Other possible causes are under study
The Environment and Transport Inspection (ILT) commissioned a study on the electromagnetic radiation of the United States. Railway installation. Oss influenced the electrical relay. According to eyewitnesses, the electric car was "down" during the collision with the train.
The relay manufacturer uses the 3,500 vehicles in circulation in the Netherlands. The company also sent an email to all customers with a checklist allowing them, mainly nurseries, to monitor the relays themselves at different times.
Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen prohibits the use of relays
Minister Nieuwenhuizen Decides on October 1, ten days after the accident, that the relays are no longer allowed to travel on the roads public. She is worried about the safety of the electric car. The Minister bases her decision on the preliminary results of the ILT investigation. The final report of the ILT and TNO is expected only in a few months.
On the basis of preliminary preliminary results, doubts were expressed as to the technical construction of the manual trolley. The vehicle could then stop suddenly or stop braking. In addition, Stintum, the company that manufactures the vehicles, allegedly made design changes on its own without informing the department.
According to the ministry, this was a condition set in 2012 when permission was granted. allow passage on public roads. The producer would have removed the emergency button, which was present at the start, and the engine was weighed in May 2014.
As a result, the maximum speed of the relay was higher and the braking distance longer. In total, nine modified models have been circulating on public roads in recent years
ILT stated that the relay of the accident had not yet been the subject of a investigation. The Inspectorate, however, had all the documents relating to the maintenance and maintenance visits of the manufacturer
A daycare goes to court
The producer Stint Urban Mobility wants to go to court because of its ban on stays on public roads. The company calls Van Nieuwenhuizen's ban premature. Stintum is silent since the ban because nobody wants to buy more relays.
The Childcare Organization Branch (BK) says that safety is a priority, but that it poses big problems for schools. The passage ban will come into effect on Tuesday, October 2; there must be an alternative means of transportation for several thousand children. Many parents fear additional costs.
Almere Kinderstraatje nursery seized the court to challenge the ban. The extra costs associated with alternative transportation weigh disproportionately on the company's budget. According to the lawyer, the Minister's decision to impose a stay ban would have been taken without precaution. In addition, the minister would not have the legal authority to withdraw the authorization given to vehicles to travel on public roads.
Van Nieuwenhuizen firmly denies it: "I based myself on an inspection opinion where new facts (…) You do not compromise on safety. "
The manufacturer of temporary files for bankruptcy
Stint Urban Mobility was forced to file for bankruptcy on October 29.
Director Edwin Renzen points the accusing finger of Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen. that the investigation on which the minister had based her decision was incomplete and incorrect: "The relay is no less safe, we still do not know what caused the accident, it is not safe. There have never been any serious problems. "Renzen is also angry at the ILT and his preliminary reports." Something went very badly there and they are not open about it, "he said. he said.
Conversations with the department do not describe the director as constructive: "They want to wait for all the investigations, we just do not have that time." The company can not yet say s & # 39; s. 39; there is a claim for damages.
Le tribuna l sees no reason to revise the ban
According to the judge, Minister Van Nieuwenhuizen acted correctly by not applying the relay on 1 October. to leave on the public road. The ban remains in force until further notice. According to the court, there were sufficient indications to warrant an investigation of the relay and a temporary suspension of the use of the electric car.
The court urges Van Nieuwenhuizen to proceed "vigorously" with the investigation. "For the people involved do not have to spend too much time in uncertainty"
Questions arise about Van Nieuwenhuizen
According to RTL Nieuws [19659036] ILT and the Ministry would provide the House with incomplete information to leave the road and hide your own mistakes. The ministry official reportedly wanted to ban the use of the relay immediately on September 20, the day of the accident.
It was discovered that day that there had not been adequate surveillance of safety for many years. Relays. Van Nieuwenhuizen reportedly provided inaccurate information about an incomplete police report concerning the passing of the accident
. The ban that she introduced on October 1 is partly based on this incorrect official report. The statement contained in this document would later be diluted and nuanced in a supplement. The report focused on reports that a day-care center in Amsterdam reported alleged braking problems at the relay.
The House of Representatives asks for clarification
During a debate on November 1, the opposition challenged the information provided by the minister. . According to Van Nieuwenhuizen, the Chamber did not inform the additional statement contained in the official report because it does not "throw everything over the fence of the Chamber".
She repeats on several occasions that the official report in question plays no role. played in the decision to ban the relay. According to the Minister, other arguments rested on this point.
Parliament wants Van Nieuwenhuizen to draw up a detailed timetable specifying who knew exactly what in the relay file. The House then decides whether or not to continue the debate on the issue. The ministry reiterated that it did not wish to make a final decision regarding the ban on stay until after the investigation ended.
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