School buses 'not fit for road'
WORKERS, NOV 2007 ISSUE
Almost half of all school buses pulled over by police in the London Borough of Barnet in an October inspection were found either not fit to be on the road or driven by people who should not have been behind the wheel.
Snap inspections carried out by flagging down buses carrying children found major defects including faulty brakes, defective steering, emergency exits that did not work and broken seat belts. One vehicle was so dangerous it was impounded immediately while four more were impounded because the drivers did not have the correct licence or insurance. One driver was not wearing his glasses despite clear DVLA instructions to do so.
All 21 buses surveyed had been hired by private schools, which says a lot about these schools' safety standards and the amount of London traffic associated with taking children to private schools.
It is clear that teaching unions and parents need to request similar snap inspections across the country. Teachers under the government's Every Child Matters policy are exhorted to help children "stay safe" – a good start would be ensuring they don't die getting to school.