Daniel Andrews says the Victorian government will consider mandating the wearing of seatbelts on school buses after a catastrophic crash in Melbourne’s western fringe that left several children severely injured.
A bus carrying 46 students from Exford primary school was struck from behind by a truck at the intersection of Exford Road and Murphys Road in Eynesbury about 3.55pm Tuesday.
The bus rolled on to its side due to the impact, trapping several children. Seven children who sustained life-threatening injuries, including two who have undergone amputations, remain in the Royal Children’s hospital.
According to police, the bus was equipped with seatbelts, though it was unclear how many children were wearing them at the time.
Several first responders – including tradespeople on the way home from work and teachers who rushed to the scene from the nearby school – said some children were still strapped into their seatbelts when they were being rescued.
Speaking outside parliament on Thursday, Daniel Andrews said the responsibility of wearing seatbelts currently lies with passengers, not the bus driver, which may have to change after the crash.
“We may have to have a very close look at that. It’s really important that we establish what happened here and then learn from it. I think we owe that to everybody who’s been caught up in this,” the premier said.
But he acknowledged the “difficulty” in placing the responsibility for monitoring or enforcing the wearing of seatbelts on bus drivers.
“Putting an onus on the driver to make sure that everyone’s wearing a seatbelt – the bus wouldn’t go very far, they would stop every time a new passenger came on. There’s a whole lot of practical issues here,” Andrews said.
“But if there’s more we can do, then of course, we should learn from this incident and see if we can make further change.”
According to Public Transport Victoria (PTV), as at March 2023, 1,143 of 1,365 dedicated regional school buses across Victoria had been installed with seatbelts.
It said while it was not proposed to alter existing legislation and policies about the use of seatbelts, once they were fitted on buses it was expected all children must wear them.
“The responsibilities that apply to school buses with seatbelts fitted will continue to live at local levels. An education program will also highlight the safety aspects and good practice of using seatbelts whenever they are available,” the PTV website states.
“Bus drivers will continue to be exempt from monitoring or enforcing passengers to wear seatbelts.”
The 49-year-old truck driver, Jamie Gleeson, has been charged with four counts of dangerous driving over the crash. He has since been granted bail.
Gleeson’s employer, L & J Cartage, issued a statement on Thursday confirming he had 20 years of experience driving trucks and had been with the company for more than 15 years.
“Our hearts go out to everyone involved, especially the children and their families,” the family-owned transport company said.
“We are deeply shocked and saddened at what has happened.”
