Friday, 1st February 2008

School van safety

Malcolm Mallia, Swieqi.

All those parents whose children use school transport would like to believe that their children are travelling safely to and from school. It is every parent's dreaded nightmare to, God forbid, receive a phone call that their child's school van has been involved in a traffic accident.

We have read several articles and letters on local newspapers over the years regarding safety of schoolchildren while on their way to school.

Drivers and passengers are obliged by law to wear a safety belt. What is the reason that schoolchildren on school vans are not subject to the same law? What is the reason that school van owners are not obliged to install seatbelts in their vehicles?

What is the Minister for Roads, as the person ultimately responsible for transport, doing to ensure schoolchildren's safety on school vans?

This week we read about an accident involving a school van in which a student suffered serious injuries. What are the authorities waiting for to tackle this long overdue issue - a fatal accident?

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Article © Allied Newspapers Ltd., printed on Monday, November 23, 2009. This article is for personal use only, and should not be distributed.

Comments

John Grima (on 1/2/08)

The question one should ask is why do we use vans to transport school children to school. Why not use specially designated buses as they do in the USA. A large bus would certainly offer more protection in an emergency.