Many units have installed anti-child abandonment devices.
According to regulations, from January 1, 2025, cars carrying preschool children and students must have their own paint color, be equipped with cameras and devices with warning functions to prevent children from being left in the car.
Speaking to Lao Dong, Mr. Le Van Canh - the manager of more than 100 vehicles from 16 to 45 seats of the Marie Curie Education System, said that since 2019, the unit has installed anti-child forgetting devices. The school vehicles are equipped with a bell at the back that will ring when the driver turns off the engine. To turn off the bell, the driver must go to the end of the vehicle, as a way to observe whether any students have forgotten anything, or if any students have not gotten off yet.
Mr. Canh added that the process of picking up and dropping off students is strictly implemented. Early in the morning, the teacher in charge of the school bus will make a list of students present, then report it to the school office. The office staff will compare the number of students on the bus with the number of students who requested absence from each class. If there is a discrepancy, the homeroom teacher and the person in charge of the bus will be reported. This step is repeated when students get on the bus to go home.
Mr. Canh shared that without waiting for the Law on Road Traffic Safety and Order, which includes regulations on tightening school buses, to take effect, the unit has proactively implemented it. At the beginning of this school year, the school organized training on pick-up and drop-off procedures for drivers, teachers, and vehicle managers. Students are taught how to escape and signal if they are unfortunately trapped in the vehicle by using a hammer (for older grades), or turning on the lights and honking (usually applied to elementary school students).
In addition to the Marie Curie Education System’s vehicles, some other systems also install anti-abandoned student devices. However, in reality, schools install different devices. Some schools install motion-detecting cameras and motion alerts. Some schools install unattended alarms…
The leader of the Vietnam Automobile, Motorcycle and Bicycle Association (Vamoba) said that the device to prevent children from being left behind on school buses in Vietnam is quite new and not yet popular. Meanwhile, the production, assembly and operation require a certain amount of time. Therefore, the management agency needs to soon issue unified guidelines to avoid waste.
Need to unify standards soon
Sharing with Lao Dong Newspaper, some school vehicle management units said that they support the regulations to tighten the management of school buses to ensure safety. However, the authorities need to soon issue unified guidelines on standards in addition to anti-forgetting devices, standards on seat belts, student seats, and instructions on procedures for changing the color of the vehicle without having to re-register or not?
According to experts, it is time to have unified regulations on vehicles with specific characteristics for school buses.
Mr. Nguyen Van Quyen - Chairman of the Vietnam Automobile Transport Association - said that the early promulgation of standards will help to realize the new regulations on school bus transportation activities in the Road Law and the Traffic Safety Law. Along with the promulgation of standards, the management agency also needs to study mechanisms and preferential policies for units investing in vehicles and participating in this service business.
