Matthew Xuereb
Fewer than half of red minivans have seat belts
Only 185 of the 388 licensed red minivans have seat belts. Photo: Darrin Zammit Lupi.
More than half the licensed red minivans used for school transport are not equipped with seat belts and are under no legal obligation to install them, The Times has learnt.
The vans that do not have safety belts are exempted from installing them under European Union regulations because the vehicles were manufactured before 1997.
In the case of white minivans, which are also used on the school run, the situation is different because most of them do have seat belts.
Official figures seen by The Times indicate that only 185 of the 388 licensed red minivans have seat belts, that is, 47 per cent of the total.
In the case of licensed white minivans, 308 of the 375 on the road, or 82 per cent, have seat belts.
Regulation 95 (2) of the Motor Vehicles Regulations stipulates that "seat belts shall be fitted to all seats on the following motor vehicles registered to be used on the roads in Malta: (a) M1, M2 and N1 motor vehicles manufactured on or after January 1, 1998; (b) M3 motor vehicles, except those intended to also carry standing passengers, and N2 and N3 motor vehicles manufactured on or after October 1, 2001".
"The market can choose which vans it prefers from among those available on the minivan market to provide school transport," a Transport Ministry spokesman said.
M2 vehicles are those used for the carriage of passengers comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver's and having a maximum vehicle weight not exceeding five tonnes.
M3 vehicles are used for the carriage of passengers comprising more than eight seats in addition to the driver's seat, and having a maximum vehicle weight exceeding five tonnes.
Most minibuses used on the island, whether 14-seater or 18-seater, are M2 vehicles. There are, however, some 18 seaters that are classified as M3 vehicles.
The onus of enforcement of the use of seat belts in minivans falls on the police and local wardens. However, other EU laws are being enforced by Malta Transport Authority (ADT) officers during road-side checks.
"Malta is fully implementing and enforcing the EU directive relating to the compulsory use of safety belts and child-restraint systems in both passenger-carrying and goods-carrying vehicles," the spokesman said.
The spokesman said that the only concession Malta has was that vehicles carrying schoolchildren under the age of 10 may apply the 3 to 2 rule - three children on a two-seater. This had been in force for many years but, since May 10, the two-year concession expired and Maltese minivan drivers now have to apply the one-to-one rule .
To this end, the ADT's enforcement unit is monitoring minibuses - and other vehicles - to ensure they are applying the one-to-one rule.
The ministry spokesman said the ADT began holding inspections to ensure that public transport vehicles were carrying the maximum number of passengers allowed on the vehicles in question and to assess the general condition of the vehicles.
To date, more than 134 checks have been carried out.
While carrying out the spot-checks, the ADT officers just make sure there is one child for every seat in the vehicle but do not check whether the children are wearing seat belts because that falls outside their responsibility.
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J Schembri
Jun 13th 2008, 05:54
Geez! Great! Finally we have legal enforcement on seatbelt use what good news for our children's safety - at least for those lucky ones on specific school vans (I would not recognise). So it is not ADTs responsibility to ensure this (although they seem to be checking whether there is one child per seat), who will be checking this law is seen to? To top it all several vans carry tinted glass so this makes it harder to spot unless you stop the van itself. I have already heard that SOME van owners might have to increase their prices to make ends meet because of the new long awaited law which SHOULD prohibit them from carrying a dangerous excess of children. SOME seem to have forgotten the extra monies they make on overcrowded vans or children sitting in 10cmx10cm space. SOME increased their rates since increase in diesel prices. Several parents have to resort to school vans because they cannot take/pick their children themselves PLUS it is a bonus to the environment and daily traffic jams to avoid having all parents taking/picking to/from school. I would explore the idea of adult supervision to see if it would be cost effective.
Censu Pace
Jun 13th 2008, 01:06
Sorry but give up on this minister. He dared try and ridicule ADT and the previous minister, when he has done absolutely nothing about anything except appease the buses about their atrocious emissions. ALL TALK!
G. Duncan
Jun 12th 2008, 22:27
Diesel increase and less students in mini buses will only mean more money to cough up monthly us parents, or else you end up like me without transport because only a few kids went to a particular school therefore I had to start ferrying my 3kids to school from Mellieha to Hamrun & Marsa daily!!! also its cheaper for me to work less hours & ferry them myself than paying the mini busese & working full. I can assure you that after a while its gets toooo much
john fenech
Jun 12th 2008, 19:32
Will there be a fare reduction for trips without safety belts? You must be joking...! In the meantime 35% of the school children have to use other means of transport or else their safety is at risk for the whole scholastic year!
The Ministry informed us that Regulation 95 (2) of the Motor Vehicles Regulation exempts minibuses prior to 1997 from this directive, but at the same time we are informed that the only exception we had from the EU was for the 3 to 2 rule.
The EU directive is very clear: Directive 2003/20/EC of the Council and the European Parliament of 8 April 2003 amending Council Directive 91/671/EEC has been adopted and will, when coming into force in Member States, require the use of seat belts in all vehicle categories (M1, N1, M2, N2, M3, N3).
Since the authorities have the minibus catalogue would it not be wiser to check those vehicles which safely and structurally can have the safety belts installed and commence soonest with this exercise. I am sure the main reason for non compliance is the cost involved and revenue lost, and has nothing to do with the soundness of the safety belt installation
Phil Pryce
Jun 12th 2008, 17:42
Here we go round again...! ADT are not empowered to check that children are wearing seatbelts. That's the responsibility of the wardens and police. The wardens and the police don't seem to be bothered to do anything because no children have been killed or seriously injured yet. The minister gives his 'unequivocal support' but little else. Time WILL run out and children WILL die or be seriously injured because no-one, except the readers of the Times, is really interested in this issue. The clock is ticking!!
Joseph Farrugia
Jun 12th 2008, 14:49
Customers can really choose when there is a free market and not one controlled by qoutas.
Joe Cordina
Jun 12th 2008, 12:12
What choice Mr Minister? School children have to make with what they get or else remain stranded. I think it is about time that the Govt makes Minibus owners scrap their old bangers and buy new safe ones. The Coop has the necessary funds to do this
Kate de Cesare
Jun 12th 2008, 10:46
On my daughter's school minivan, there are more kids than seats... they're all little kids on her bus (under 4), so they squeeze them in, so hers must be one of the vans that the ADT hasn't yet checked.
She rides to school every day and her van has already had an accident this scholastic year. Thank goodness it wasn't a serious one because without seatbelts, God knows what would have happend to her and the rest of the children.
Last week her minivan was in for repairs and they sent an ancient replacement white minivan, again with no seatbelts. There was no seat between the driver seat and the passenger seat, so if there was even an accident the children in the front row would have shot out of the windscreen.
Its totally irresponsible that the ADT do not enforce all school minivans to have seatbelts. These small kids won't stand a chance if there was a bad accident... I wonder how they'd feel if it were their child in the van.