Advocates say tougher seat belt laws could prevent harm

University of Sydney transport and road safety deputy director Jake Olivier said installing seatbelts into older buses would be worth the expense.

"You might have buses that are quite a bit older, generally safe but maybe lack seatbelts because they weren't required in those vehicles when they were brought into Australia.

"Retrofitting them is a big expense to be fair," he said.

"However the loss of life or serious injury like amputations would certainly be more expensive than retrofitting."

In NSW passengers are legally required to wear a seatbelt if one is fitted to a bus but buses on regular city public transport routes are usually not equipped with seatbelts.

Bus drivers in NSW are responsible for telling passengers to wear seatbelts.

Multiple MPs have spoken on the need for seatbelt reform in light of the Hunter Valley crash, including Riverina MP Helen Dalton who called for a public campaign for seatbelt awareness.

In 2022 the NSW Government said more than 200,000 students would be able to wear a seatbelt on school buses after an upgrade as part of the $237 million Rural and Regional Bus Seatbelt Program.

The Hunter Valley crash comes less than a month after a truck collided with a bus carrying more than 40 children from Exford Primary School in Melbourne's outer west.

There were no fatalities but several students sustained traumatic injuries including partial amputation.

Under Victorian law, buses or coaches are not required to have seatbelts unless there is a seat directly facing a front windscreen. They must be worn if available.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews said he would consider mandating seatbelts on buses.

The Tasmanian Bus Association has spent two decades lobbying for seatbelts to be made mandatory on school buses.

TasBus general manager Steve Henty said the state had some of the oldest school bus fleets in the country, many without seatbelts.

"There's additional benefits to more contemporary buses with the right safety and seatbelt features, they will be able to run longer and they're more efficient. They're also significantly better for the environment in terms of emission reductions," he said.

Mr Henty said standing capacity regulations that allow children to stand in the aisles of buses puts passengers at risk in the event of an accident.

"We strongly oppose any standing capacity on a road that's on a bus that's consistently travelling above 60 kilometres an hour," he said.

"When it comes to the safety of children and the impact that it has on society, if you have a look at this recent accident it shocks all of Australia but none more so than people who transport children for a living."

In Queensland passengers are required to wear a seatbelt if they are available but a bus driver is not responsible for ensuring passengers on the bus are wearing seat belts.

In Western Australia seatbelts are compulsory on all school buses and must be worn.

Passengers in the Northern Territory and ACT must also wear seatbelts if they are available on buses.

Similarly in South Australia, if a bus has seatbelts fitted, they must be worn. However bus drivers are exempt from ensuring passengers under 16 years of age are restrained.

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State secretary of the NSW Transport Workers Union Richard Olsen said transport is Australia's deadliest industry.

"Just last month we saw at least two major bus crashes in Victoria, and just this year there have been over 100 people killed on Australian roads in truck crashes.

"These incidents will continue to occur until the deadly pressures placed on transport workers are improved," he said.

"The importance of prioritising the safety of drivers, passengers and the broader community is urgent, and this devastating incident underscores the critical need for increased safety measures on our roads."