Enforcement stepped up against PLB passengers not wearing seat belts

Police today (July 24) remind all passengers to wear seat belts while travelling on public light buses (PLBs) fitted with seat belts.

As part of the ongoing efforts to encourage more passengers to protect themselves from injury, the Police have stepped up enforcement measures against PLB passengers for not wearing seat belts, with a special 24-hour operation mounted since yesterday (July 23).

Conducted on a territory-wide basis, the operation started from midnight on July 23 until midnight on July 24. The operation was targetting at PLB passengers who had failed to observe the legislative requirement to wear seat belts.

The operation, which had intensively been conducted in the past 24 hours, had resulted in the issue of 51 verbal warnings and 179 summons to PLB passengers. As for PLB drivers, Police had issued one verbal warning and six fixed penalty tickets in the operation.

In the first six months of this year, there were a total of 531 traffic accidents involving PLB, resulting in 848 casualties while 541 traffic accidents and 848 casualties were reported in the same period of last year.

The Police stressed that it is the passengers' responsibility to ensure that they are securely fastened to their seat by means of a seat belt and any passenger who is found not wearing a seat belt when it is available on a public light bus will be subject to a maximum fine of $5,000 and three months' imprisonment.

Any PLB driver who fails to wear a seat belt is also liable to a fine $5,000 and three months' imprisonment.

"The Force has all along been according a high priority to the reduction of deaths and injuries arising from traffic accidents and will continue to pro-actively adopt a three-pronged approach of education, publicity and enforcement to tackle the problem with a view to enhancing road safety for all road users in Hong Kong," a Police spokesman said.


Police Report No. 3
Issued by PPRB

End/ Tuesday, July 24, 2007