A Tavistock Country Bus driver is questioning the speed and ‘reckless’ behaviour of drivers on narrow country roads following a ‘close shave’ with a delivery van recently.

Peter Walshe, secretary of the Tavistock Country Bus, was involved in what he described as ‘a potentially awful accident’ with a Parcelforce delivery van and driver near Horsebridge on March 1.

‘If I was two seconds later coming around the blind bend there would have been a head-on crash with serious injuries caused to the van driver, myself and the 14 passengers I had on board the bus,’ he said.

After the incident, Mr Walshe sent a email to Parcelforce in order to receive an apology from the company for the driver’s ‘appalling driving’.

The van (pictured above on its side) was rescued by local farmers and their vehicles.

In the letter, Mr Walshe said: ‘I believe that your driver needs to do more than just gain an appreciation of safety and careful driving. A written apology for the distress and upset caused to the elderly passengers in the bus would be a start, closely followed by an apology to me as the bus driver for his appalling driving.

‘The van flipped over because the driver was going too fast round a blind bend on a narrow country lane without passing places. His desperation to fulfil his order and his tight schedule meant that he was rushing to his next delivery and not taking any cognisance of the road and its blind bends. It was very lucky that I know these roads well and their hidden dangers and was driving slowly up the hill from Horsebridge.’

Mr Walshe urged the company to take his concerns seriously: ‘As Parcelforce, you have the ultimate responsibility for your drivers. I expect you to react to this incident with real concern. I shudder to think what would have happened if the van and driver had ploughed into the bus with 14 elderly passengers on board. It certainly would have involved ambulances and the police and Parcelforce would be having to deal with far more serious consequences.’

In response, a spokesperson from Parcelforce apologised and said: ‘The driver isn’t a Parcelforce employee but an owner driver who covers this route. However, the very fact that he represents means we have a duty of care to prevent this from happening.

‘The drivers we use are considered to be professionals and we would expect them to use our highways in a way that minimises danger to other road users.

‘The description of his driving style falls way below the standard of what we would expect.’