As many as 33 passengers travelling in a Vinukonda-Vijayawada RTC bus escaped unhurt, when the alert driver hit a tree to avoid a head-on collision with a speeding car at Santamagaluru in Prakasam district on Tuesday. The presence of mind of the driver saved the lives of the passengers, when the car driver tried to overtake a lorry, without seeing the approaching bus, Santamagaluru Sub-Inspector M.Raghava Rao said. The bus passengers were accommodated in other Vijayawada-bound buses to reach their destination safely, the SI added.