国内英语新闻:School bus safety draft regulation released

Further, the draft stipulates strict qualification standards for school bus drivers, including their ages, driving experience, non-violation records and health condition.

Since most of the students and preschoolers in urban regions go to schools located in the vicinity of their homes, the government will give more support in terms of financial aid and taxation benefits for expanding bus services in the country's rural areas, where the students have to travel much farther for school, the State Council Legislative Affairs Office said in a statement.

China has started nationwide school bus safety checks and pledged increased spending on school buses in wake of a fatal accident that stirred public concern over safety.

Twenty-one people, including 19 preschoolers and two adults, died, and 43 others were injured last month when a nine-seat school bus illegally carrying 64 people collided head-on with a coal truck in Gansu province.

The accident has revealed problems in the country's school bus management, including regulatory loopholes, unimplemented safety measures and a failure to carry out government responsibilities, according to a statement issued by the State Council's Work Safety Committee.

On Wednesday, another school bus ran red lights and collided with a truck, injuring 13 people, including 11 students on board, in Guangdong province.

Several days after the November accident, Premier Wen Jiabao called on relevant government departments to "rapidly" create safety regulations and standards for the country's school buses while further improving the design, production, and distribution of the vehicles.

The draft regulation is available at www.chinalaw.gov.cn, and feedback via online posts, letters and e-mails will be accepted until January 11, 2012.