New seat belt law to focus on public education, not punishing passengers, Hong Kong transport minister says

2026-01-25 - 23:30

Hong Kong authorities will focus on education over imposing penalties in enforcing the city’s new seat belt law, which took effect on Sunday, the city’s transport chief has said. A passenger’s seat on a Citybus vehicle equipped with a seat belt. File photo: Citybus. Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan said on Sunday, the same day the city started requiring passengers to wear seat belts on buses, that the government will emphasise education and promotion, and noted that the law includes a “reasonable defence” provision. Speaking on a TVB programme, Chan said that unforeseen circumstances or special reasons prohibiting a passenger from wearing their seatbelt, such as feeling unwell or needing to alert a driver to an emergency, could amount to a reasonable defence. She added that the measures were not introduced to penalise passengers, and that the authorities were keen to avoid handing out fines. “The police have also indicated that, especially in the initial phase of implementation, the emphasis will be on education and publicity,” she said in Cantonese. “We hope to handle this in a humane way; this policy is not being introduced to punish passengers.” Secretary for Transport and Logistics Mable Chan. File photo: GovHK. Starting Sunday, passengers who fail to wear seat belts on buses where they are provided – including on franchised buses and school buses – face fines of up to HK$5,000 or three months in prison. The seat belt mandate also applies to rear seats in private light buses, goods vehicles, and special purpose vehicles. Under the new rules, any of those vehicles first registered on or after January 25 must be equipped with seat belts on all passenger and driver seats. Vehicle owners, drivers, and passengers who breach the fitting or wearing requirements will be liable to a maximum fine of HK$5,000 and up to three months’ imprisonment. The transport minister said the new law was consistent with those of other jurisdictions, including mainland China, the UK, Australia, and Singapore, and aligned with recommendations made by an investigation committee that looked into a fatal bus crash in Tai Po in 2018 that killed 19 people. Also under the same law, starting Sunday, drivers are restricted to having no more than two smartphones or tablets on their dashboards. Each screen must not exceed 19 centimetres, and devices must not obstruct the driver’s view of the road, traffic, or mirrors. Drivers who violate these requirements face a maximum fine of HK$2,000.