Close to five per cent of minibuses do not have seatbelts, despite the vehicles often being used to transport children to and from school.

According to a spokesman from Transport Malta, while seatbelts are a requirement for all motor vehicles, minibuses manufactured before 1998 are exempt  and can still be driven without the belts.

At the time, the spokesman pointed out, seatbelts were not mandatory for this class of vehicle. He said that there are 58 such minibuses on the road.

“The majority of minibuses, especially those doing the school run, are equipped with seatbelts. There may still be some old vehicles doing such runs, but parents obviously have the right not to accept such services,” the spokesman noted.

There may still be some old vehicles doing such runs, but parents have the right not to accept such services

Last month, the mother of a three-year-old told this newspaper that while her daughter was being transported to summer school, she was thrown off her seat when the driver had to brake suddenly.

The small child was thrown against the seat in front of her, suffering bruising all over her face, her mother said.

Another mother, whose five-year-old son was on the same minibus, noted that although the vehicle in question did have seatbelts, it was impossible to buckle up the children.

“There are some seatbelts but they are beneath the seats, out of reach of children who, therefore, can’t see them, access them or use them. In other words, seatbelts are either non-existent, not functioning properly or inaccessible to the children,” said the worried mother.

When asked whether the transport watchdog informed parents when their children would be on vans without seatbelts, the spokesman said the authority “registers, licenses and inspects vehicles, and acts immediately on reports received”.

Malta Insurance Association director general Adrian Galea, who recently called for an overhaul of the penalty system for reckless drivers to cut down on accidents, said that insurers were free to accept or refuse any risk presented to them. “It is likely that an insurer would refuse to insure a vehicle if it were in breach of regulations at the time insurance is being requested or if a policy is about to be renewed, assuming, of course, that the insurer is aware of this breach,” Mr Galea said.