School bus seatbelt move agreed

The move was prompted by a crash in which three children were hurt

All school buses in Aberdeenshire will have to have seat belts by 2010, it has been decided.

The move - formally approved by councillors - goes beyond the existing law.

It was prompted by an accident at Netherley, south of Aberdeen, two years ago with a school bus and a lorry in which three children were injured.

More than 12,000 pupils are transported to and from school in Aberdeenshire every year.

The council said it had thoroughly researched a range of issues on the use of seatbelts and seat restraints and came to its decisions on that basis.