Mum presses gas instead of brake, hits 8 school students

Muscat: An Omani woman who accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake ran over eight children in Nizwa.
Speaking to the Times of Oman, an official at the Royal Oman Police (ROP) said, “An Omani woman, who went to pick up her children from school, accidentally hit the accelerator instead of the brake. Two students were seriously injured, while six others sustained moderate to light injuries. The accident took place at Nizwa School for Basic Education in the Redat Al Busaid area on Wednesday afternoon.”
The official urged parents to be extra vigilant when transporting schoolchildren to and from school, especially while entering and exiting vehicles.
All the victims were female students, according to Nizwa Hospital. The Directorate General Education in Al Dhakiliyah governorate has also issued a statement about the accident.
“The Directorate General Education in Al Dhakiliyah governorate has followed-up on the accident that involved eight students of Nizwa School for Basic Education while they were waiting in the allocated area for transporting children.”
After receiving the report, officials at the directorate paid a visit to the injured students at Nizwa Hospital.”
“Six of them sustained light injuries and they will be discharged from the hospital after receiving the necessary medical treatment, while the other two students escaped with moderate injuries and their health condition is stable.” It added: “The directorate has urged everyone to be vigilant while transporting school students by private vehicles for their safety.”
According to the figures released by the police, in 2017, 3,845 accidents occurred, down from 4,721 the previous year; 640 deaths occurred in 2017, compared to 692 in 2016. Some 3,134 people were injured in 2017, compared to 3,261 in 2016.
ROP figures also suggested that 2,124 of the accidents in 2017 took place during the day, compared to 2,584 in 2016. The number of accidents at night in 2017 stood at 1,721, compared to 2,137 in 2016.
As many as 417 Omanis lost their lives in 2017, 89 of them females. The number of expats who lost their lives in road accidents stood at 223.
Fridays saw the most number of deaths as a result of road accidents in 2017 – 109 from 532 accidents.
Saturdays came next with 106 deaths, followed by Tuesdays, which recorded 101 deaths from 590 accidents.
Speeding was the most common cause of accidents, followed by negligence and bad behaviour on the roads.