My Take | Bus seat belt law not at the end of the road despite the fiasco of the first attempt
Legal blunder that saw legislation repealed is a blessing in disguise. Problems faced by passengers need to be considered and the policy improved
A new law requiring passengers to wear seat belts on Hong Kong buses was supposed to mark the start of a long journey ensuring greater safety. But the trip turned out to be surprisingly short. The rule only lasted 13 days.
The long-anticipated legal step should not have been revolutionary. It is common knowledge – and common sense – that the wearing of a belt can save life and limb in an accident.
But the practical implications were not thought through. A public backlash highlighted a catalogue of problems, from children being half-strangled by ill-fitting belts to passengers struggling to extricate themselves in time to get off at their stop.
This was not, however, the main reason for the government repealing the relevant provision on Friday. The confusion and inconvenience of passengers, who faced a potential fine of HK$5,000 or even a three-month prison term for failing to buckle up, was completely unnecessary.
Anyone taking a close look at the relevant law should have been able to spot immediately that there was a problem. The government’s intention was that all passengers on public and private buses wear seat belts if available. But that is not what the law said. It only applied to buses registered from January 25 onwards, when the subsidiary legislation took effect. There are, it seems, no such buses on the road.
When this was pointed out by former lawmaker Doreen Kong Yuk-foon, the government was left with little choice but to repeal the provision. It was an embarrassing climbdown. Now, officials must think again.