Unsafe school vans put children at risk

For parents, the journey is part of the daily routine.

But behind the familiar school run, overcrowding, reckless driving and unsafe transport practices are raising concerns about the safety of young passengers.For Class 6 student Yumna Amin, the risks became apparent when she arrived at school one morning without her schoolbag.

The bag had reportedly fallen from the private van somewhere along the route, taking her books, notebooks and homework with it.

Neither the driver nor the other passengers noticed its disappearance.Teacher Fouzia of F-10/2 Model Girls College noticed Yumna without her bag and contacted her mother, asking her to speak to the driver and find out where it had been lost.Although the belongings could be replaced, the incident raised a troubling question: if a schoolbag could fall from a moving vehicle unnoticed, how closely were the children being monitored?Yumna also complained….

Parents leave for work early, and professional and household commitments make it difficult to manage school pick-and-drop arrangements themselves.Nayab Ali said repeated encounters with what she described as irresponsible behaviour by school-van drivers had prompted her to arrange transport for her own children.

Many parents, she added, could not afford the same option because of work and family commitments.Another parent, Arsalan Rao, said he had repeatedly witnessed school transport drivers violating traffic rules."Countless times, I have seen van drivers flout traffic rules, yet traffic police often appear to do little to check such deplorable behaviour," he said, warning that reckless driving endangered every child inside the vehicle.Authorities say enforcement is being stepped up.

Rawalpindi traffic official Lehar Mirza said action was being taken against operators carrying children beyond designated seating capacity and those allowing schoolbags to hang from the rear or sides of moving vehicles.She said violators were being warned and fined, while awareness sessions were being conducted in schools to educate students, parents, drivers and administrations about road safety.Inspector Traffic Rana Ishtiaq Ahmed of the Education Wing of Islamabad Traffic Police said….

Personnel were deployed near schools, while awareness activities targeted drivers, parents, teachers and school administrations.He said traffic police encountered between 60 and 80 violators daily, including school transport drivers, with fines ranging from Rs500 to Rs1,500 depending on the offence.

Vehicles failing to meet safety requirements could also face action.Overcrowding remains a major concern, he said, with vehicles designed for around 10 children sometimes carrying 18 to 20.

Police were also preparing a crackdown on vans and pick-ups fitted with rear grills or metal frames for hanging schoolbags.

Unsafe school vans put children at risk APP | Updated 24 minutes ago | Overcrowded vehicles and reckless driving endanger children in twin cities.