New rules highlight school bus safety

Chinese police have introduced two amended traffic regulations targeting school bus safety.

Under the revised regulations on the management of driving licenses, failure to give road priority to a school bus will result in six penalty points, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

Using forged school bus plates or overloading school buses by 20 percent will result in 12 penalty points, it added.

Under China's current regulation on driving licenses, if a driver's penalty points add up to 12 in 12 months, he or she must report to the police and go through a seven-day special training on traffic law. The driver then has to take an exam for a driving license again.

The report also introduced a regulation on vehicle registration, which features new provisions on school bus management.

It specifies procedures and checklists for school bus license applications, safety inspections and supervision of school bus operations.

After a series of fatal school bus accidents since October 2011, China's Regulation on School Bus Safety Management was promulgated and went into effect on April 5, which introduced the concept of the "school bus" and required the two traffic regulations to be revised.

The provisions on school bus drivers will take effect upon being published, with the rest on Jan 1, 2013, said the report.