Seat Belts Compulsory On Scottish School Buses – Ridgeway Training – CPC Transport Manager
Plans to make seat belts compulsory on all dedicated home-to-school transport have advanced, with a Bill to be introduced to the Scottish Parliament during 2016-17.
The new law will mean that vehicles supplied for contracts will be legally required to have seat belts fitted, with an introduction in 2018 for vehicles carrying primary pupils and 2021 for those used by secondary pupils.
The law will only apply to closed contract dedicated home-to-school transport, specifically for entitled pupils.
It will not apply to public registered bus services, even if tickets or seats are paid for by local authorities or if routes or times deviate slightly to fit with arrangements at the start or end of the school day.
Transport Scotland announced the measure would be put in place back in 2014, after an agreement with the UK Government to devolve statutory powers on the matter. It says: “Many operators which tender for such contracts will have already had discussions with contracting local authorities on the issue.”
The early announcement and lead-in time are aimed at avoiding the need for any existing contracts to be disclosed as a result of the new measures.
Over half of Scotland’s local authorities already stipulate seat belts in dedicated school transport contracts, so the legislation is intended to make this universal practice across the country.
Although legal requirements for seat belts in taxis and minibuses already exist, for completeness these vehicles are likely to be included alongside the buses in the legislation. The legislation will not stipulate whether it is lap-belts or three-point seat belts that must be used.
Ridgeway Training – CPC Transport Manager
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