Calls for seatbelts on school buses
Parents are calling for immediate action on fitting seatbelts to all school buses.
Despite yesterday’s tragic school bus crash, and many previous ones, the police and Government are refusing to make a decision until an inquiry has its say.
The principal of St Catherine's wants belts on buses and Catholic school parents agree, saying that one death is too many.
Greens spokeswoman Cate Faehrmann says that when it comes to safety on school buses, seatbelts are a no brainer.
But the State Government is waiting for an inquiry into bus seatbelts that is underway, but overdue by three months.
New South Wales Deputy Police Commissioner Nick Kaldas says the inquiry needs to be done once, and needs to be done right.
."They need to look at all aspects of it,” Deputy Commissioner Kaldas says.
The Federal Government has a $40 million scheme to retro-fit bus seatbelts, but only $5 million has been applied for.
Every application for the scheme has been granted, according to Federal Transport Minister Anthony Albanese.
So why the slow up-take?
Seat belts limit capacity, which means bus companies can't meet quotas and lose money.
Seatbelts have been mandatory in cars since 1972 and in coaches since '95.
However, on school buses today kids can stand in the aisles while the bus is doing 80 kilometres an hour, and it is still perfectly legal.
Campaigners want that to end.
