WARNING: Pupils are banned from travelling in back of bakkies
The new law aims to keep children safer when they are transported to school.
IT is back to school tomorrow and the roads will be busy again with cars, buses and bakkies transporting thousands of children to their school.
But sometimes, many of those children do not make it to see another day because of unsafe transport. Last year, a road traffic regulation was implemented that transporting pupils in the back of goods vehicles or bakkies is banned.
The amendment of the regulation 250 of the National Road Traffic Regulations was made public in February.
The new law aims to keep children safer when they are transported to school. This decision was lauded by the Minister and spokesmen for the Department of Transport as being a giant stride in the right direction for road safety.
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“The introduction is a step in the right direction as it puts the issue of scholar transport high on the road safety agenda. It also means those business operators taking children to school in vehicles which are either unroadworthy, or not designed for person transport (such as bakkies), will need to repair or replace their vehicles,” noted the Automobile Association (AA).
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However, according to the AA this might place a burden on parents whose only form of transport are the operators of bakkies who may or may not follow the new rules. “Many parents simply don’t have a choice but to use operators whose vehicles are in a poor state. It’s a decision based on giving your child an education or not. For this reason, more reliable, accessible, safe public transport is essential, especially in rural areas where bakkie transport is more common,” the AA said.
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The amendment to Regulation prescribes as follows:
No person shall on a public road convey school children in the goods compartment of a motor vehicle for reward.
No person shall convey any other person in the goods compartment of a motor vehicle for reward: Provided that the provisions of this sub-regulation shall not apply in respect of a vehicle which complies with the provisions of the NLTA.
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