The bravery and sagacity of the Metro bus driver got completely overshadowed amidst the chaos which resulted when a fire erupted in a Metro bus in Rawalpindi. According to the details, the engine caught fire due to overheating and within seconds the whole bus was engulfed in horrific flames. Miraculously, all the passengers were able to escape the burning vehicle just in time using the emergency exit and so there was no loss of life. Although the investigation is underway; the negligence of authorities and the lack of maintenance mechanism are certainly to blame for the harrowing incident.
However, what caught my attention is the way our media and news agencies have become so accustomed to just sharing the negative aspects and happenings whilst completely overlooking the positive aspects of the same incident. Talking about this particular incident, the driver deserves utmost appreciation & recognition. The media must cover the entire incident in detail and interview the driver to get an insight into what exactly happened, and how he managed to stop the vehicle and assisted in the evacuation of all the passengers.
In addition to this, the driver must be awarded for his timely response because had he not acted promptly, this horrendous incident could have claimed so many innocent lives! Rewarding the driver would reinforce and strengthen his behaviour, and this would thereby prove beneficial for the commuters who regularly travel through Metro Bus Service! This also connects to the paradigm in experimental psychology i.e. Operant Conditioning, an indispensable notion of Psychology which focuses on rewarding and deterring the positive behaviour and negative behaviour respectively. Therefore, Media and news agencies need to play their part and make effective use of their resources and power in getting the Driver recognized and rewarded accordingly!