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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