Students who don’t wear bus seat belts maybe prosecuted

STUDENTS aged over 14, who refuse to wear seat belts on school buses, could face prosecution for disobeying a new law.

Pupils who do not co-operate can also be asked by drivers to get off school buses.

Education Minister of State Síle de Valera confirmed yesterday that drivers will not be held legally responsible for any child who fails to use the restraints.

Under regulations introduced last May, seat belts must now be worn on vehicles where they are fitted.

Ms de Valera said plans are “on target” to ensure that all 3,200 school buses, run by Bus Éireann and private operators, will be retrofitted with seat belts by the end of December.

According to the minister, 99% of the Bus Éireann fleet and 85% of private buses operating under a licence system have already been equipped with seat belts.

Despite the new rules, it is unlikely that prosecutions — which can carry a €2,000 fine — will be taken against schoolchildren who refuse to wear seat belts as the aim of the legislation is to ensure improved levels of seat belt use.

Launching a campaign to inform schoolchildren and their parents about the requirements, Ms de Valera said education was the key to ensuring compliance with the legislation.

TV, radio and cinema advertisements will target the 135,000 students who use school transport daily. An associated DVD on road safety for school bus users, featuring Dustin the Turkey, will be distributed to all schools next month.

Ms de Valera pointed out that the practice of accommodating three students on two seats on school buses for primary pupils would be phased out by the end of the year.

The “three-for-two” seating system for post-primary schoolchildren was discontinued last December.

The initiative was taken in response to criticism about the safety of school buses following the death of five schoolgirls when their vehicle crashed at Kentstown, Co Meath, in May 2005.

Although Ireland’s school bus safety record is good by international standards, Ms de Valera remarked: “There is no room for complacency and the recent tragic accidents serve as a constant reminder that safety must be kept at the top of the transport agenda.”

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation and the National Parents’ Council both called on the Government to employ bus escorts for the transportation of young schoolchildren.

Meanwhile, the head of the Road Safety Authority, Noel Brett, expressed hope that there would be better compliance with the new seat belt requirements on school buses than exists with cars.

Only 70% of schoolchildren who travel as front-seat passengers in cars wear seat belts, while just 60% who sit in the back seat are restrained.

“You wouldn’t carry eggs back from the supermarket the way we are carrying our children,” he observed.