Peru bus drivers 'psycopathic'

Last updated at 10:21 08 April 2005


Anyone climbing aboard a bus or taxi in Peru should think twice because many drivers have psychopathic tendencies, a university study has claimed.

Some 40 per cent of the 640 taxi and bus drivers surveyed by Lima's San Marcos University suffered from psychological problems and showed psychopathic tendencies, such as aggressive, anxious and antisocial behaviour, the study said.

"Drivers showed they would not feel any guilt in injuring or running over a pedestrian," the study added.

Peru's capital, Lima, is crowded with aging, pollution-pumping taxis and buses, many of which do not obey traffic rules or stop lights.

Hundreds of people die each year in bus and taxi crashes in Peru because of bad roads, poorly maintained vehicles and recklessness by drivers.

In just the last three months of last year at least 85 people were killed in crashes, according to police figures. Prosecution is rare.

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