/ 8 November 1999

‘BUSES NEED SEAT BELTS’

THE tourism ministry on Sunday urged the country’s tour bus operators to force clients to wear seat belts following two road accidents in which 31 foreigners were killed. “This would save a lot of lives on our roads,” Tourism Minister Valli Moosa’s spokeswoman Didi Moyle said. She said there is no law forcing tour operators to fit seat belts in buses and insist clients use them. A spate of recent accidents prompted authorities to announce stringent new regulations for the passenger transport industry, including lowering the speed limit for buses.But on Sunday transport ministry spokesman Mike Mabasa said only six of the country’s nine provinces have to date agreed to the proposed new speed limit for the vehicles of 100 kilometres an hour.