MPs approve new traffic regulations for school buses

All school buses will be required to be painted yellow with the school's name written on them in black, in a wide range of changes aimed at enhancing safety.

The new regulations are contained in the 2016 Traffic (Amendment) Bill passed by the National Assembly on Wednesday and is awaiting President Uhuru Kenyatta's signature.

According to the Bill, a motor vehicle designated to transport children to or from school, or for any non-school related activity, must be fitted with safety belts designed to be used by children.

The speed limit for all vehicles approaching schools has been fixed at 50km per hour.

School buses will be barred from operating between 10pm and 5am.

ROGUE DRIVERS

If okayed, the Bill, sponsored by Laisamis MP Joseph Lekuton, will safeguard the lives of pupils, who sometimes find themselves in the hands of rogue drivers.

Other vehicles that regularly transport schoolchildren but are not school buses are, however, exempt from the stringent rules but will be required to adhere to traffic rules.

Any person who contravenes the new provisions commits an offence and will be liable for a fine not exceeding Sh30,000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two months, or both.

“A person who being the registered owner or driver of a vehicle used for transporting children, who authorises or permits the use of a vehicle used for transporting children or is negligent to prevent contravention with this Act commits an offence and shall be liable to a fine not exceeding thirty thousand shillings or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two months, or to both,” reads the Bill.

TRAFFIC OFFENCE

The Bill requires that a police officer will serve a traffic-offence notification on the person driving or in charge of a vehicle and who commits an offence under the Act.

“The police notification shall require the person to attend the court to answer such charge as may be preferred within 48 hours of service of the notification.”

According to information from the National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) school bus safety rules and school driver recruitment should involve representatives of the Parents Teachers Association and the school administration.

TRAINING DRIVERS

The NTSA rules also stipulate that the selection and training of school drivers should be rigorous and include retraining and regular re-evaluation to ascertain alertness, consistency and proficiency to avoid putting the lives of pupils and students at risk.

School bus drivers should also successfully complete a written or oral test covering driver duties, bus operating procedures, traffic and school bus regulations, road emergency and crash-related procedures such as First Aid.

The tests should also cover the basic appreciation of the development stages and needs of pre-school and school-age child supervision, responsibilities and transportation of passengers with special needs.