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
00:16are protected and which aren't?
00:18Advocates at the Country Women's Association of New South Wales State
00:22Conference said if seatbelts are a given for city students they should be for
00:26regional and remote 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
00:46their city peers, speakers argued. I just don't get the hypocrisy that you demand
00:51on one 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
01:06but supporters feel regional kids safety should come first to ensure consistent
01:11safety measures for all school children no matter where they live.