New school bus laws planned after schoolgirl’s death

There are plans to bring forward legislation to prohibit drivers overtaking school buses which have stopped to drop off or pick up their passengers.

Calls have been made for new laws to improve school bus safety in Northern Ireland after an 11-year-old girl died after being hit by a car when exiting a school bus in Castledawson, County Londonderry, in March.

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins said “tragic events” have highlighted the safety of children getting on or off school buses.

“I believe strengthening the law around this issue is an important step in further improving safety for children here,” she said.

Caitlin-Rose McMullan died after being hit by a car when exiting her school bus in March.

The St Pius X College, Magherafelt, pupil was described by her school as being “a very popular pupil who was always smiling”.

Currently in Northern Ireland there is no legal requirement for other vehicles to stop when a school bus is picking up or dropping off pupils.

In some parts of the United States, it is a motoring offence to overtake a school bus when it has stopped.

Safety measures in these jurisdictions include retractable stop signs on the left-hand side of buses which flashes amber or red when children are exiting.

Kimmins, who announced her intention to bring the legislation forward, said she has asked her department officials to “explore the issue”.

“Too many families have had their world shattered by receiving the worst possible news after a loved one has set out on a routine journey,” she said.

“I have met grieving families and heard their heart breaking stories. I am committing to introducing legislation to help prevent more lives being devastated.”

The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) MLA Patsy McGlone said it’s important to improve road safety for children in memory of Caitlin-Rose.

“Everyday across Mid Ulster and across the north, cars speed past school buses, gambling with children’s lives,” he said.

“The tragic death of Caitlin-Rose McMullan in March has seen a young life cut far too short, devastating her family and our community, and we as legislators need to do everything we can to prevent this from happening again.”

It is now more than 20 years since a motion came before Northern Ireland’s Assembly asking for an urgent investigation into how children could be better protected getting on and off school buses.

The 2002 motion came just months after the death of 14-year-old Julie Louise Meldrum from Kesh, Co Fermanagh.

The teenager had been knocked down as she got off the bus outside her home in December 2001.

The assembly motion had been brought forward by then Ulster Unionist MLA Danny Kennedy.

He said in 2001, around 300 schoolchildren had been injured travelling to and from school.

Patricia Lewsley-Mooney, at the time a SDLP MLA who would later become the children’s commissioner in Northern Ireland, remembers that was among a number of road safety improvements discussed.

It is a move that “still makes perfect sense”, she told BBC News NI, and one that would also need other drivers to comply with the required law changes.

“Back then it was decided we would go down a different route, we would put better red warning lights on the back of buses.”

That more than 20 years later there are still safety improvement calls, she said, is disappointing.