Seat Belts on School Transport (Scotland) Act 2017
| Act of the Scottish Parliament | |
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| Long title | An Act of the Scottish Parliament to require that motor vehicles provided for the dedicated transport of pupils are fitted with seat belts. |
|---|---|
| Citation | 2017 asp 7 |
| Introduced by | Gillian Martin |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 18 December 2017 |
Status: Unknown | |
The Seat Belts on School Transport (Scotland) Act 2017 (asp 7) is an act of the Scottish Parliament relating to mandating that school buses have seat belts.
History
In 2011, the Scottish government first considered the costs and implications of new school bus safety legislation.[1]
Natasha Paton, aged 17 years old, died after a coach, containing 39 pupils and 5 staff from Lanark Grammar School, was caught in a snowstorm on 31 March 2010, and this would have been prevented had she been wearing a seat belt, according to an fatal accident inquiry.[2]
In March 2014, the transport minister, Keith Brown, announced planst to mandate that dedicated school buses must have seat belts.[1]
Provisions
The act requires that dedicated school buses have seat belts, but it does not require students to wear them.[3]
Reception
The legislation was supported by Jack Kushner, of the road safety charity Brake.[4]
Further developments
A private member's bill to implement a similar policy was debated in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia in 2019.[5]
References
- ^ a b "Scottish government plans new school bus seatbelt law". BBC News. 18 March 2014. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ "Natasha Paton FAI: Pupils death was 'preventable'". BBC News. 22 May 2013. Archived from the original on 9 June 2013. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ Humphries, Will (16 March 2017). "School bus seatbelt law is toothless". The Times. Archived from the original on 4 May 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ McArdle, Helen (26 August 2016). "MSP seeks law change to make seatbelts on school buses compulsory". The Herald. Archived from the original on 4 May 2025. Retrieved 4 May 2025.
- ^ Canseco, Mario (7 May 2019). "British Columbians back making school bus seatbelts mandatory". Business in Vancouver. Archived from the original on 18 July 2024. Retrieved 4 May 2025.