Bus drivers are no more immune to accidents than anyone else. Neither are they always blameless.

But there are aspects of the job that tend to make them inherently safer drivers than most. Number one is their intimate knowledge the route. They know every bump and pothole. They know every bend, how much lock it needs and at what speed it may be safely taken. They know all the accident blackspots and where ice tends to form or linger in winter.

Above all, they know where they are going. That may seem pedantically self-evident, but one of the worst hazards on the road is the driver who doesn't know where he is or where he's going.

Bus drivers never find themselves in the wrong lane and their road positioning is normally beyond criticism. Apart from the sheer size of a bus, which makes an easy target, bus drivers represent a minimal hazard to themselves and other road users.

Modern buses may be comfortable and mechanically more efficient than our rear loaders, but the old ones had two major safety factors as advantages. First of all we were separated from passengers and the distractions they offered. Secondly our driving position, high above most other road users, enabled us to read the evolving traffic pattern easily.

We were thus seldom caught off-guard and were able to give everyone on the back a reasonably smooth and safe ride. For all the modern bus's improved mechanism, the combination of super-efficient brakes and automatic gearboxes doesn't necessarily provide a smooth ride, especially in today's shuffling city traffic.