A FATHER is calling for seat belts on all school buses following an accident which saw several children injured.
Father-of-two James Williams, from Litton Cheney, labelled the Damory School bus taking children from the Bride Valley to the Sir John Colfox School ‘completely unacceptable’ because of its age and because it has no seat belts.
He said he would be refusing to let his children use the bus until seat belts were fitted.
He said at least three children sustained injuries in the accident which happened on the Long Bredy to Litton Cheney road in December.
He said the price of fitting seat belts retrospectively was £25 per child.
He said: “That’s the value of a child’s safety. The operators could fit them and protect the children from injury or death.”
He said the school, local authority and bus contractor had a ‘duty of care’ to the pupils which was not being met.
He added: “Our children are currently being transported on a route that is 20 miles long.
“Damory are using an urban shuttle bus that has no seat belts or lap restraints whatsoever.
“As parents we are expecting a duty of care for the safe transport of our children to school. It is being done with buses that are vintage 1998 and have no means of retraining of children to prevent them having injuries in the event of an accident.
“Is that acceptable?
“There was an accident on the route just before Christmas that resulted in injuries to three children, all of which were sustained because they were not strapped in.
“They involved head injuries, knee injuries and children falling onto the floor.
“We are going to refuse to let our children go on the bus because of the danger until seat belts are provided on a suitable bus.”
He said he thought the ultimate responsibility was the school’s and head Kay Taylor should refuse to let the children get on a bus with no seat belts.
He also blamed Dorset County Council for not insisting contractor Damory had seat belts on all its buses.
He added: “It is the school’s ultimate responsibility to make sure the children are transported safely.
“The parents have no idea in their wildest nightmare that their children are being transported on a bus that had no seat belts.
“They, like me, are in blissful ignorance.
“If I was a parent and turned up at the school gate in a vehicle with my children not strapped in the back seat I would be breaking the law.
“It beggars the question why is it not acceptable for parents to transport their children in a vehicle when they are not strapped in yet it is quite acceptable, it would appear, to transport tens and tens of our school children.
“There appears to be appalling dual standards going on.”
To make matters worse, he said, the route involves the A35 with its strong cross winds, and frequent low cloud and fog.
“There have been numerous accidents including fatalities along this stretch in recent times,” added Mr Williams.
Damory operations manager Adam Keen said: “When the contract was tendered some years ago and subsequently awarded we supplied and quoted with a bus that they asked for and as such the bus we supply meets their tender requirements.
“We have been told that when the tender is re-let in the next two years there will be a requirement for seat belts to be provided.
Sir John Colfox School headteacher Kay Taylor said: “The school works closely with Dorset County Council to ensure that all safety requirements on transport are met.
“Clearly there is a particular issue here which is a concern to the parents involved and the school will be meeting with the relevant parties for further discussions.”
Cllr Peter Finney, cabinet member for environment and the economy, said: “Many buses that operate school routes are also used on public bus routes, and public buses with more than 16 seats are not legally obliged to provide seat belts to carry adults or children.
“We apply stringent criteria to the procurement of all our passenger transport services. “We have not specified the provision of seat belts as, to have done so, it would have excluded many companies from tendering for council passenger transport routes.
“However, in view of parents’ concerns, future contracts on this route will require the vehicle to be fitted with seat belts.
"We have been working closely with our main contractor Damory Coaches and now have an agreement in place that vehicles serving first and primary schools have seat belts.”
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