Hong Kong to Try Seat Belt Rules Again

Government re-examines seat belt implementation

After a spectacular fail, the Hong Kong government is going to try the seatbelts on buses thing again.

But this time it will take a more methodical approach instead of imposing it on passengers without any consultation and research.

The new rule, which was implemented last month, only to be repealed days later, only applied to buses that were registered from late January. In other words, none of the existing buses.

The public outrage and criticism that government officials haven't taken public transport in recent years or ever so they don't understand what it's like riding a bus was warranted.

Chan says this time it will be more methodical

No one did a comprehensive study to discover some buses had seat belts, or not all seats had seat belts.

But now the government is going for seatbelts on buses 2.0.

Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan has said the government will take a four-pronged approach by working with the bus operators to improve on the installation, design and maintenance of seatbelts to ensure safety and convenience.

The government will also commission experts to examine the risks associated with different seating layouts and route types, as well as increase public education on the importance of passenger safety.

Chan also said the authorities would re-examine policy details regarding implementation, exemptions and penalties to ensure balanced law, reason and empathy.

"Regarding the requirement to wear seat belts on buses, we will conduct a fresh and comprehensive review and widely consult the community before drawing up an optimised proposal," she said.

Shouldn't all this have been done the first time around?

It'll be interesting to see when seat belts on buses 2.0 is implemented...