New traffic rules highlight school bus safety

BEIJING - 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, according the Ministry of Public Security 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 adds up to 12 or more within 12 months, he or she must report to the police and go through a seven-day special training on traffic law. They then have to take the written 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 routine supervision on school bus operations.

Following a series of fatal school bus accidents since October 2011, China published the Regulation on School Bus Safety Management and made the rule into effect on April 5, 2012. It introduced the concept of "school bus" and required the two traffic regulations being revised.

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