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In just over a week’s time, buckling up on public transport and commercial vehicles in Hong Kong will no longer be a recommendation, but a requirement. Starting on January 25, new road safety regulations concerning passengers on all public transport and commercial vehicles will come into effect, meaning that seated passengers on public and private buses, rear passengers in private light buses and goods vehicles (GVs), and drivers and all passengers of special-purpose vehicles (SPVs) must wear seatbelts.
Flouting the rules means staring down a maximum fine of $5,000 and facing up to three months of imprisonment, so it’s really not worth not strapping yourself in unless you’ve got cash and time to burn. Children old enough to sit upright on their own should occupy their own seat and buckle up, while toddlers can remain on their parents’ lap provided the adult holds onto them tightly. Seatbelts should also not be shared by two or more passengers at the same time. In addition, any driver who zooms off with an unbuckled passenger under 15 years old plonked in the rear seat of a GV or the passenger’s seat of an SPV will be fined a maximum of $2,000. Basically, wear a seatbelt or pay the price.
Current government legislation already requires all drivers and passengers of private cars, taxis, and public light buses, drivers and front-seat passengers of private light buses and goods vehicles, and drivers of buses to wear seatbelts, if fitted. Registered owners or drivers of a vehicle who do not have seatbelts fitted properly without reasonable excuse will be subject to a $5,000 fine and three-month imprisonment too.
KMB, one of Hong Kong’s largest franchised bus companies, and its subsidiary Long Win Bus have already equipped more than 2,500 vehicles from its approximately 4,300-strong fleet either fully with seatbelts across all decks or partially on the upper deck. Citybus has fitted over 780 buses with seatbelts either in all seats or partially on the upper deck only.
Also from January 25 onward, drivers will not be allowed to have more than two mobile devices placed in front of them while driving as part of a move to enhance road and passenger safety. Device screens should not exceed 19 centimetres in diagonal length, obscure the driver’s view of the road and traffic, or be in the way of any mirrors, devices, or camera monitors used for road-viewing. Disregarding the rules means shelling over a maximum fine of $2,000. Someone better tell the Hong Kong taxi drivers whose dashboards are notoriously bricked with smartphones, tablets, and the like…
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