Earlier this year, a revision was made to the Road Traffic Act regarding school and private academy buses… and it was named the Serimi Law (세림이법)... in honor of a 3-year-old girl who died two years ago, after she was run over by a daycare center school bus. This has strengthened regulations on the operation of school buses across the nation. Has it made a difference locally? Suejin Choi reports.
[slug]
Near Halla Elementary School

School is over for the day… and private cram school or hagwon buses start lining up in front of one elementary school. As soon as the police appear, bus drivers hurriedly start to check if all the children on board have fastened their seatbelts.

[INTERVIEW]
Hagwon bus driver
(The children aren’t wearing their seatbelts. That’s a violation of the law. Please show me your driver’s license.) Yes, I should have checked. I did tell them to buckle up, but I didn’t check.
싱크 : 통학차량 운전자
"(안전띠 안 맸잖아요 지금. 전좌석 안전띠 위반에 해당되는 것입니다. 면허증 잠깐 제시해 주십시오.) 네. 잘 생각못했어서.
-----수퍼체인지-----
그냥 지나가면서 안전띠 매라고 하긴 했는데 일일이 다 확인은 못했어요."

The Road Traffic Act on school buses was revised earlier this year… requiring alterations be made to school buses so that they are painted yellow and have swing-out stop signs… but some buses clearly have yet to comply with the new rules.

[INTERVIEW]
Hagwon bus driver
(One of our buses has been altered, but) I didn’t ask why this one hasn’t. I just assumed we had time until the end of the year to make the changes.
싱크 : 통학차량 운전자
"(한대는 구조변경했는데 원장님한테) 물어보지는 않았어요. 왜 한대는 안 바꾸느냐고 안 물어봤거든요. 그냥 12월까지 유예기간인 줄 알고."

[camera]
Park Byeong-joon

A crackdown officially began at the start of September, and on the first two days, police charged 12 school buses of violating the new law.

### C.G IN
The revision stipulates that school bus drivers can only start their vehicles after confirming that all children have fastened their seat belts, and for 15-seater or larger vehicles, a guardian must be present on the bus.
### C.G OUT

When on board, the safety of our children lies in the hands of school bus drivers.

[INTERVIEW]
Park Min-gyeong / Jeju Seobu Police Station
We’re making sure every child on school buses has their seat belt fastened. We are also looking at whether drivers make safety checks every time a child boards and exits the bus, and if the bus is properly registered.
박민경 / 제주서부경찰서 교통관리계
"차량 내 어린이 전좌석 안전띠 착용 여부와 (어린이) 승하차시 안전 확인 의무, 신고된 차량인지를 집중적으로 단속하고 있습니다."

[REPORTER]
Suejin Choi

Now is the time to renew our commitment to road safety... and prevent future accidents that could affect our children.

Suejin Choi, KCTV.