Hong Kong’s leader has called for patience following public complaints about the city’s new mandatory seat belt law, with passengers lamenting that the restraints were poorly fitted for young children and prevented commuters from reaching the “stop” buttons on buses to alight.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday said the new regulation was a necessary responsibility that the city must accept to protect lives, and that it was informed by the “painful lesson” of the 2018 Tai Po Road bus crash that claimed 19 lives.
“We must all recognise the facts and accept the responsibility of wearing seat belts on public transport,” Lee said ahead of his weekly Executive Council meeting, noting that similar laws had been implemented in mainland China, the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore.
Singapore does not mandate seat belts on public buses but does so for smaller private-hire buses.
Under Hong Kong’s new rule, all passengers travelling on public or private buses – including franchised and school services – must wear a seat belt whenever one is available.
The mandate also applies to the rear seats of private light buses and goods vehicles, as well as to all seats in special-purpose vehicles such as mobile cranes or street-cleaning trucks, provided they were first registered on or after January 25.
