Abu Dhabi: Seat belts have been made compulsory in school buses in Abu Dhabi as part of new safety regulations introduced by the School Transport Executive Committee.
The new regulations make medical examinations and training programmes on safety of children mandatory for bus drivers and escorts.
Brigadier Eng. Hussein Al Harthi, Director of Traffic and Patrol Directorate at Abu Dhabi Police and Chairman of the School Transport Executive Committee said the measures will ensure security and safety of students.
According to the regulations, all schools buses, regardless of the number of seats, should be equipped with three-point seat safety seat belts before they are registered.
Operators of existing school buses which have 22 seats and below should also provide three-point safety seat belts. Operators of school buses that have more than 22 seats must equip their school buses with two-point safety seat belts.
Parents said the measures will enhance the safety of their children.
“It is worrying to see children travelling in buses without wearing seatbelts,” said Rajasree Menon, mother of a five-year-old child. “My son dozes off in the bus and I know it is extremely unsafe because he is not buckled up,” she said.
Another parent whose daughter goes to an Indian school said school buses are often overcrowded. “Sometimes my son is made to stand in the bus. I have complained to the school management many times but in vain,” he said.
The executive committee looking into school transport regulations have also made medical tests compulsory for bus driver applicants.
Conducted by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA), the medical tests will include vision check (visual acuity and colour vision), complete blood count, Hepatitis B surface antigen, fasting glucose, glycated haemoglobin, renal function test, audiometry and electrocardiogram.
The medical fitness certificate will be valid for two years.
The Committee also has implemented regulations to train school bus drivers and escorts, and provide them with all necessary information, practical experience and professional knowledge that will help them promote the safety of students while travelling between school and home.
To this end, special training manuals for school bus drivers and escorts were prepared in collaboration among the Department of Transport, Abu Dhabi Education Council, Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council and Emirates Driving Company.
The committee said it is also conducting field inspections and also collaborating with Abu Dhabi Education Council in monitoring the implementation of school bus security regulations and measures to avoid any violations that may affect the level of safety provided to the students.
