The deadly New South Wales (NSW) bus crash has rekindled debate about seatbelt laws and a national approach to compliance.
Ten people were killed and dozens more injured on Sunday night when a coach carrying wedding guests tipped over and crashed into a guardrail in the Hunter Valley of NSW.
It remains unclear whether the passengers were wearing seatbelts, and the cause of the crash is yet to be determined.
While stressing he was not specifically commenting on the crash, NSW Premier Chris Minns said it was the driver’s responsibility to ensure passengers wore seatbelts.
“If there are seatbelts on buses and coaches in NSW, you are legally responsible to wear them,” he told ABC TV.
“It’s always the driver of the vehicle whose responsibility it is to ensure that there’s enforcement with the law and to reinforce the point.”
Under NSW law, bus passengers are exempt from wearing a seatbelt if it’s a public service, specifically designed for standing use, and all seats are occupied.
Advice from the NSW transport department also states bus drivers are not responsible for ensuring passengers under 16 years old wear their seatbelts.
Minns said his government is open to legislative changes to improve safety on buses or coaches if recommended following the police probe.
“We will be in constant communication with NSW Police,” he said.
Several of the crash victims were members of the Warrandyte Cricket Club in Melbourne’s northeast.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews is yet to speak with his NSW counterpart about the crash but said the southern state stands ready to offer any support to victims and their families.
“It’s just heartbreaking,” he told reporters.
The crash comes less than a month after a truck collided with a bus carrying 46 children from Exford Primary School at nearby Eynesbury in Melbourne’s outer west.
None of the students were killed but several sustained traumatic injuries, including partial and complete amputations.
Andrews confirmed about 200 of Victoria’s 1200-strong fleet of school buses are not fitted with seatbelts but will be taken off the road in the next year or so.
“This is an incident that I’m sure every state and territory will learn from,” he added.
Under Victorian law, buses and coaches are not required to have seatbelts unless there is a seat directly facing a front windscreen, but they must be worn if available.
Andrews is open to a national approach on bus seatbelts but noted complexities around school, charter and public transport types and difficulty in striking a deal.
“Sometimes getting a national agreement can add a long period of time to the process of developing rules,” he said.
Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff said his government would also consider any recommendations that come from the crash.
