ABU DHABI // A requirement to fit all school buses with seat belts has brought mixed reactions from drivers, parents and road safety experts.
On Monday, the School Transport Executive Committee in Abu Dhabi announced regulations that included mandatory seat belts, medical tests for drivers and training courses on pupil safety.
Seat belts are the best protection in accidents, said Mohammed Hassan, 53, an Indian who has been driving a school bus for 13 years and works for Al Nahda National Schools.
“This 23-seater bus is about two to three months old and already has seat belts,” he said. “I always remind the schoolgirls to fasten their seat belts to keep them safe.”
His bus is also equipped with a GPS device and CCTV, a first aid kit, fire extinguishers and emergency hammers for breaking windows.
Shahul Hamid, a school bus driver for five years, said seat belt use would help to encourage a culture of safety among the pupils.
“I make sure every child has his seat belt on and it fits right,” he said.
All school buses must now be equipped with seat belts, with small buses using three-point belts and two-point belts in bigger buses. And they must be inspected by government authorities, said Glenn Havinoviski, a road safety expert.
Not all drivers are supportive.
Waqil Khan, a 44-year-old Pakistani driver of a 66-seat school bus, said he wore a seat belt, but the task of fastening a seat belt could be tedious for pupils.
“It will take time for children to fasten and remove them,” he said.
The latest set of regulations on school transport shows how committed Abu Dhabi is to school bus safety, said Kumar Ghopi, 36, a parent.
“I drop off and pick up my seven-year-old son since our home is near his school. Despite the death of the young girl last year, the school bus system here is generally safe.”
Nizaha Aalaa, 3, died after she was left alone on an Al Worood Academy school bus on October 7 last year.
Thomas Shyju, 43, who sends his eight-year-old son on a school bus, also welcomed the new regulations.
“Looking at the history of these Abu Dhabi buses, they have a relatively positive safety record as they’ve been involved in a few accidents,” he said. “Requiring all school buses to be fitted with seat belts is a welcome move by the Government.”
Mr Shyju said he did not mind if school bus operators, who faced additional costs with the seat belt installation and medical exams for drivers, increased their fees as a result.
“If it’s something that will be borne by the parents, why not?” he said. “School buses should have seat belts, as the safety of our children is of utmost importance.”
Operators, however, will not be allowed to increase fees without the education regulator’s approval, said Hamad Al Dhaheri, executive director of the private schools and quality assurance sector at Abu Dhabi Education Council.
“Every year, we are given a provision by Adec to apply for a fee increase,” said Tabinda Al Ghizala, principal of the Sheikh Khalifa Pakistani School. “We do that and Adec decides whether or not the school is eligible.”
The school, which operates buses with 52 and 78 seats, has applied for a fee increase and is awaiting Adec’s approval.
School bus operators need to be 100 per cent compliant, so those who do not meet the new regulations will not be allowed to increase their fees, said Ali Makki, the stakeholders manager at the Department of Transport.
Drivers said they were prepared to undergo medical tests and training on safe driving techniques, defensive driving skills and student management.
“We’ve submitted our papers and we’re just waiting for them to contact us,” Mr Hassan said.
rruiz@thenational.ae
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1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
2 Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari
3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
4 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
5 Kevin Magnussen, Haas
6 Romain Grosjean, Haas
7 Nico Hulkenberg, Renault
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Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
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The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
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Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
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4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
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