ASSAULTS

Assaults on bus drivers are on the rise. Here’s what we mean by assaults:

• Punching
• Slapping
• Spitting
• Kicking
• Objects being thrown at you
• Liquids (e.g. coffee) being thrown at you
• Threatening

Bus drivers are not in a position to defend themselves against these assaults. They are fully exposed in a seat facing forward. They must keep control of their vehicles at all times. Losing control would endanger other passengers, motorists and pedestrians. If the bus is stopped when the assault takes place, chances are the door is open and the assailant easily escapes. The driver cannot abandon his or her bus to chase them. Passengers will only rarely try to chase the assaulter. Why should they?

Many assaults that do not result in apparent injury are not reported by drivers. Why?

• You have to stop the bus and call security, who can take a long time to reach the scene. Some insensitive passengers will start complaining that they’ll be late. “C’mon, what’s the big deal, driver? Just wipe it off and let’s go!”
  
  
• In the investigation, management often asks: “Did you (the driver) do anything to provoke this assault?” What are you supposed to say? “Yeah, my day was going too good, so I tried to get that drunk really pissed off.”
  
  
• The paperwork is not worth the hassle. Nothing will happen because the assailants get away most of the time.

Why spitting is a serious assault

Saliva is an excellent medium for transmitting bacteria and viruses, which is why you are supposed to cover your mouth when you sneeze (then wash your hands, if you can.)

Here is a short list of the many possible diseases that can be transmitted through saliva:

Hepatitis B Virus

Hepatitis B
A serious disease caused by a virus that attacks the liver. The virus can cause lifelong infection, cirrhosis (scarring) of the liver, liver cancer, liver failure, and death. Vaccines are available but if you are already infected, the vaccines will do no good.

Molluscum Contagiosum
In plain language, a disease that causes pretty ugly skin lesions. Can be treated and is not fatal

Bacterial meningitis
Fortunately, with antibiotic treatment, the fatality rate for patients with this disease is only 15 per cent. Good luck!

Cytomegalovirus
CMV is a herpes virus. If your immune system is good, you should not get sick from this virus. But if your immune system is weakened through some other illness, such as flu (see below), you could suffer from fever, pneumonia, liver infection, and anemia. Illnesses can last for weeks or months and can be fatal. In persons with HIV infection (see below), CMV can infect the retina of the eye and cause blindness.

Avian Flu Virus

Flu and Avian Flu
Normal flu can make you pretty sick, as we all know. The current strain of avian flu that had health officials worldwide sounding the alarms has a fatality rate of 50 per cent. Good luck!

Human herpesvirus (HHV-8)
Herpes is forever.

Polio
Pretty low-risk since polio has virtually disappeared in Western countries. But it’s still out there. Have your children been vaccinated against polio? Have you?

Epstein-Barr virus
A member of the herpes family. It establishes lifelong dormant infection in some cells of the body's immune system. In rare cases, it is associated with two types of cancer: Burkitt's lymphoma and nasopharyngeal carcinoma.

Mononucleosis
Caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. Incurable but not fatal. Puts you out of commission for a few weeks.

Streptococcol infection

Streptococcol infections
Streptococcal (strep) infections are caused by group A streptococcus, a bacterium responsible for a variety of health problems. These infections can range from a mild skin infection or sore throat to severe, life-threatening conditions such as toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing fasciitis, commonly known as flesh eating disease. Hey, good luck with that one!

Upper Respiratory Infections
Besides the common cold, there is a long list of conditions under this category. Some of them are: pharyngitis, sinusitis, epiglottitis, laryngotracheitis and post-nasal drip.

Cold sores
Caused by the herpes simplex virus. If you get this from being spit on, don’t kiss your spouse or children while the mouth blisters are present.

HIV virus

HIV/AIDS
If an HIV-positive person spits on you, it should be no problem as long as you have no skin cuts.

Bottom line: Spitting on someone is a physical assault that can cause illness and, in extreme cases, death. In fact, if you were spit on and became ill, you probably wouldn’t know that your illness was caused by the spitting, as infections transmitted in this way usually take time to appear.