A long-awaited draft regulation on Chinese school bus safety management was passed in principle on March 28 at a State Council executive meeting chaired by Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, according to a statement released.

The draft regulation asks local governments to ensure that students attend schools near their homes or boarding schools to "reduce students' traffic risks".

In rural areas that cannot ensure nearby schooling or convenient public transport to schools, measures should be taken to ensure students' access to school buses.

The draft states that county level and higher governments will be responsible for the management of school bus safety within their jurisdiction. It also sets obligations and responsibilities of the schools and service providers to guarantee safety.

According to the draft, higher technical standards will be set for school buses and stricter requirements for the drivers. School buses will have the right of way on the road and a speed limit will be set for them. People involved in unlawful school bus services or uses will be held legally and possibly criminally responsible.

The State Council will publicise the draft regulation for implementation after further revision, the statement said.

保障學(xué)生上下學(xué)集體乘車安全

近年來，一些地方，特別是一些農(nóng)村地區(qū)，孩子們上學(xué)路途趨遠(yuǎn)，上下學(xué)交通風(fēng)險增大，一段時期多次發(fā)生的校車安全事故造成未成年人重大傷亡，教訓(xùn)慘痛“堅持從實際出發(fā)，保證制度規(guī)定切實可行?！眹鴦?wù)院法制辦負(fù)責(zé)人說，針對保障校車安全的主要環(huán)節(jié)，作出符合中國國情、特別是符合農(nóng)村地區(qū)實際情況的校車安全管理規(guī)定；考慮地區(qū)、城鄉(xiāng)不同情況，在確立全國普遍適用的制度同時，給地方制定具體辦法留出空間。

護(hù)佑校車駛?cè)搿鞍踩ǖ馈?br>

《校車安全管理條例》條例總共62條，分為總則、學(xué)校和校車服務(wù)提供者、校車使用許可、校車駕駛?cè)恕⑿＼囃ㄐ邪踩?、校車乘車安全、法律?zé)任、附則等８章。條例規(guī)定，縣級以上地方政府對本行政區(qū)域的校車安全管理工作負(fù)總責(zé)。保障學(xué)生就近入學(xué)或者在寄宿制學(xué)校入學(xué)，減少學(xué)生上下學(xué)的交通風(fēng)險，發(fā)展城市和農(nóng)村公共交通，為需要乘車上下學(xué)的學(xué)生提供方便，對確實難以保障就近入學(xué)，并且公共交通不能滿足學(xué)生上下學(xué)需要的農(nóng)村地區(qū)，縣級以上地方政府保障接受義務(wù)教育的學(xué)生獲得校車服務(wù)。同時，條例還規(guī)定，縣級以上地方人民政府根據(jù)本地區(qū)實際情況，可以制定管理辦法，組織依法取得道路旅客運輸經(jīng)營許可的個體經(jīng)營者提供校車服務(wù)。配備校車的學(xué)校、校車服務(wù)提供者應(yīng)當(dāng)指派照管人員隨校車全程照管乘車學(xué)生。條例還對政府部門、學(xué)校的校車安全管理責(zé)任，校車駕駛?cè)说臈l件，校車在道路上行駛的通行安全，隨車照管人員的職責(zé)，以及違法后的處罰等做了規(guī)定。