The ACRS Queensland Chapter is calling on the QLD Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Bart Mellish MP, to prioritise child safety by mandating seatbelts on all school buses across Queensland. This comes in response to the concerning loophole in Australian Design Rule 68 (ADR 68) that allows certain school buses to operate without seatbelts, putting the lives of children at unnecessary risk.
Currently, buses in Queensland are exempt from requiring seatbelts if they fall under the category of route buses – those used on shorter council routes. Additionally, ADR 68 states that if the back seat of a bus is less than one metre high, the bus is exempt from the requirement to install seatbelts. The Queensland Government continues to rely on this exemption as justification for not making seatbelts compulsory on all school buses, despite clear evidence that seatbelts save lives.
Susan Teerds, ACRS Member and CEO of Kidsafe, Queensland, said there is nothing stopping the Queensland Government from mandating seatbelts on school buses. “Funding needs to be allocated to retrofit school buses on rural and remote routes,” she said. “We know seatbelts saves lives and seatbelts are compulsory in all vehicles, so to exclude school buses is simply reprehensible”.
Seatbelts, when properly worn, reduce the risk of death and serious injury by 50%. Despite this well-known fact, Queensland continues to lag behind other states in ensuring the safety of children on school buses. Western Australia has made seatbelts compulsory on all school buses, while Victoria and New South Wales have made significant strides in retrofitting school buses with seatbelts, particularly in regional and remote areas. The NSW Government has retrofitted 2,662 buses as detailed in the NSW Bus Taskforce after the tragic Hunter Valley crash in 2023.
In Queensland’s rural and remote areas, school buses often travel at speeds of 100 km/h on highways and 80 km/h on busy roads, with vulnerable children left unsecured. The exemption in ADR 68 – based on the height of bus seats – does nothing to protect these children. This loophole must be urgently addressed to prevent further risks to young lives.
With Queensland aiming for a vision of zero deaths and serious injuries on its roads, it is crucial that this vision extends to school bus safety. The Queensland Government has the opportunity to lead the way in protecting children and ensuring their safe travel on all school buses.
ENDS