PART IIN.I.Principal Road Safety Provisions

Protective measures: seat belts, helmets, etc.N.I.

[F1Requirement to notify bus passengers to wear seat beltsN.I.

24A.—(1) Subject to paragraph (6), the operator of a bus in which any of the passenger seats are equipped with seat belts shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that every passenger is notified that he is required to wear a seat belt at all times when—

(a)he is in a seat equipped with a seat belt; and

(b)the bus is in motion.

(2) For the purposes of paragraph (1) a passenger may be notified only by one or more of the following means—

(a)an official announcement, or an audio-visual presentation, made when the passenger joins the bus or within a reasonable time of his doing so;

(b)a sign prominently displayed at each passenger seat equipped with a seat belt.

(3) For the purposes of paragraph (2)—

(a)“official announcement” means an announcement by the driver of the bus, by a conductor or courier or by a person who is a group leader in relation to any group of persons who are passengers on the bus; and

(b)a sign that takes the form of a pictorial symbol must be in the form shown in Schedule 2A, depicting a white figure on a blue background.

(4) An operator who fails to comply with paragraph (1) is guilty of an offence.

(5) Paragraph (1) does not apply in relation to a bus—

(a)which is being used to provide a local service within the meaning of Article 24B in a built-up area; or

(b)which is constructed or adapted for the carriage of standing passengers and on which the operator permits standing.

For the purposes of sub-paragraph (a), a local service is provided in a built up area if the entire route used by that service consists of restricted roads.

(6) In this Article—

“bus” has the same meaning as in Article 24;

“operator”, in relation to a bus, means—

(a)

the owner of the bus; or

(b)

if the bus is in the possession of any other person under an agreement for hire, hire-purchase, conditional sale, loan or otherwise, that person;

“passenger seat”, in relation to a bus, means any seat other than the driver's seat;

“restricted road” means a road that is restricted for the purposes of Article 36 of the Road Traffic Regulation (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 (other than a road restricted by an order made under Article 37(3)(a) of that Order) or would be so restricted but for an order under Article 37(3)(b) or an order under Article 38(1)(a) of that Order.]