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Mary Valley Voice is a free local newspaper, published twice a month. The distribution of approximately 2200 copies is to Imbil, Dagun, Kandanga, Kenilworth, Ridgewood, Brooloo, Conondale, Belli, Yabba Creek, Coolabine, Obi Obi and Gheerulla. |
An article in the February 10th 2004 Edition (page 3):-
"Seatbelts on School Buses"
"At 8am on the 7th March 2001 a school bus spun 180 degrees and flipped on to its roof after colliding with a truck south-west of Rockhampton. More than 20 children on the bus were injured, some critically.
In the accident, children were tossed in the air and thrown about like rag dolls inside the bus. One child was knocked unconscious as she was flung out of the bus. She was rushed to intensive care at Rockhampton Hospital.
Others suffered cuts, fractures, bruises and internal wounds when they were thrown about inside the vehicle as it went out of control.
None of the passengers was wearing a safety restraint because there is no law in Queensland which requires school buses to be fitted with seatbelts.
The Queensland Law Society, representing Queensland's solicitors, believes the legal profession has a duty to speak up on behalf of Queensland children, who do not have a voice or a vote to influence change on their behalf.
In the QLS's view the lack of any effective laws for the safety of children on school buses is discriminatory against children and in clear breach of The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
The Queensland Law Society has taken a high profile on the school bus safety campaign and as part of this commitment submitted the following submission to the School Transport Safety Task Force.
Sources: Seatbelts on School Buses Now! Campaign: www.oocities.org/seatbelts2004
& Qld. Law Society http://www.qls.com.au/default.aspx?pid=204 "