Calls grow for mandatory seatbelts on regional school buses

Australian Community Media

Calls to mandate seatbelts on rural school buses have intensified with the Country Women's Association of NSW advocating for the same safety standards for regional children as those in the city, at a conference in May, 2025. This video includes ACM-produced voiceover powered by AI.

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00:00A renewed push for mandatory seatbelts on all school buses in rural areas has

00:06sparked fresh debate over road safety for regional kids.

00:10Why do some buses get seatbelts and some don't? Who gets to choose which children are protected and which aren't?

00:18Advocates at the Country Women's Association of New South Wales State Conference said

00:23if seatbelts are a given for city students they should be for regional and

00:27remote children as well. The CWA highlighted the discrepancy between

00:31dedicated school buses which must have seatbelts and public buses in rural

00:35areas that often do not. Many children in regional areas travel on buses reaching

00:41speeds of 100 kilometres per hour yet they are not protected by seatbelts like

00:45their city peers, speakers argued. I just don't get the hypocrisy that you demand on

00:51one hand that you must wear a seatbelt and then on the other you're allowing

00:55these school children getting on these school buses without a fitted seatbelt.

01:00A 2023 task force found mandatory seatbelts on all buses could impact service delivery but

01:07supporters feel regional kids safety should come first to ensure consistent

01:11safety measures for all school children no matter where they live.

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