Belt up on coaches, says West Midlands Euro-MP

12.00.00am GMT Mon 10th Mar 2003

West Midlands MEP Liz Lynne is supporting the initiative to require coach passengers to wear seatbelts

Passengers in coaches will be required to wear safety belts by 2006 under new proposals being debated in the European Parliament this week. West Midlands MEP Liz Lynne is supporting the initiative.

The proposal is to amend the existing 1991 directive on the wearing of safety belts in all car passenger seats to include buses, coaches and lorries, with relatively few exemptions such as medical grounds. Individual countries may however grant exemptions to urban buses, and buses where standing is allowed, if they wish. The amended directive would come into force in 2006. From that point on, anyone sitting in a seat with a safety belt must use it. However, children will be permitted to travel in school buses without fully fitted seat belts until 2008, and all will be allowed to travel in not fully fitted mini-buses and vans until 2009.

Commenting on the amended directive, the Liberal Democrat said:

"This year marks the 20th anniversary of the introduction of mandatory seat belt wearing in front car seats. Since then approximately 50,000 lives are believed to have been saved, and two million injuries avoided."

"It has always been an anomaly that while coaches have needed to fit safety belts in order to meet European safety standards, it has not been a legal requirement and people have had to wear them. I welcome the closing of this loophole and hope it will save many more lives in the future."

Notes:

New rules in 1989 made it mandatory for children to wear seat belts in the back of cars. This was extended to adults in 1991. Surveys show that more than 90 of adult front passengers and drivers belt up, but only 57 of adult back seat passengers do. Women are more conscientious than men at wearing a seat belt.