The world is still reeling as a result of the tragic accident which occurred in Switzerland recently which cost 28 lives, 22 children and six adults, when a bus ploughed into the concrete wall of a tunnel.
Those responsible for investigating the accident are looking into the chance that the driver was trying to put a DVD on which resulted in him being distracted and losing control of the bus, which then hit a kerb and veered across two lanes before smashing into the tunnel wall. The coach operators were Belgian and said there had been two drivers aboard the coach at that time - both men were killed - and added that while there wasn't a set procedure for changing DVDs or CDs while on a journey, it had been the responsibility of the drivers themselves to demonstrate commonsense.
CCTV images failed to determine what actually happened on the coach that night but what is not in dispute is that there was a high fatality rate, which occurred in spite of the passengers all wearing seat belts at the time.
Since 2006 it has been compulsory, when travelling in European Union countries, that drivers and passengers on tourist coaches wear seatbelts and the EU adds that there ought to be specially adapted belts for younger children. It also states that the driver bears the responsibility to ensure that all his passengers are complying and are wearing theirs. Sadly, in this instance, the belts were of little use because of the angle and speed of the impact.
Though the belts were ultimately not life savers on that tragic occasion, more often than not they are and so it is one area of child safety which is very likely to lead to discussion as a result of the crash in Switzerland. The current rules on school buses in the UK declare that all rear seated passengers aged 14 and over must wear a seat belt where one is fitted, which applies to all buses and coaches, while front seated passengers already are required to wear a seat belt. However, in the event the school bus is a "large bus", schoolchildren who are aged over three but under 14 don't need to wear a belt.
The Department of Transport states there will be consultation about the issue of the wearing of seat belts on school buses for children aged under 14, though it is not yet known if the timing of that consultation has been affected by the Swiss crash. Though seat belts tragically did not avoid deaths on that occasion, it's beyond dispute that in many other instances they save lives, so all people who have responsibility for bus safety will need to have that at the forefront of their minds.
Those responsible for investigating the accident are looking into the chance that the driver was trying to put a DVD on which resulted in him being distracted and losing control of the bus, which then hit a kerb and veered across two lanes before smashing into the tunnel wall. The coach operators were Belgian and said there had been two drivers aboard the coach at that time - both men were killed - and added that while there wasn't a set procedure for changing DVDs or CDs while on a journey, it had been the responsibility of the drivers themselves to demonstrate commonsense.
CCTV images failed to determine what actually happened on the coach that night but what is not in dispute is that there was a high fatality rate, which occurred in spite of the passengers all wearing seat belts at the time.
Since 2006 it has been compulsory, when travelling in European Union countries, that drivers and passengers on tourist coaches wear seatbelts and the EU adds that there ought to be specially adapted belts for younger children. It also states that the driver bears the responsibility to ensure that all his passengers are complying and are wearing theirs. Sadly, in this instance, the belts were of little use because of the angle and speed of the impact.
Though the belts were ultimately not life savers on that tragic occasion, more often than not they are and so it is one area of child safety which is very likely to lead to discussion as a result of the crash in Switzerland. The current rules on school buses in the UK declare that all rear seated passengers aged 14 and over must wear a seat belt where one is fitted, which applies to all buses and coaches, while front seated passengers already are required to wear a seat belt. However, in the event the school bus is a "large bus", schoolchildren who are aged over three but under 14 don't need to wear a belt.
The Department of Transport states there will be consultation about the issue of the wearing of seat belts on school buses for children aged under 14, though it is not yet known if the timing of that consultation has been affected by the Swiss crash. Though seat belts tragically did not avoid deaths on that occasion, it's beyond dispute that in many other instances they save lives, so all people who have responsibility for bus safety will need to have that at the forefront of their minds.
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