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Children’s safety act ensured involving commuting vehicles

Children’s safety act ensured involving commuting vehicles

Posted January. 01, 2014 03:16,   

한국어

“We are giving a great gift to Se-rim in the heaven ahead of the New Year. Now is the beginning. I hope that all adults will follow the Se-rim Act, and create a world safe for children.”

This is what Kim Yeong-cheol, 41, the father of the late Se-rim, had to say upon hearing that a revision bill to the “Road Transportation Act” strengthening the safety requirements of busses and vans carrying children cleared the plenary session of the National Assembly on Tuesday. The revision bill was approved by the Assembly with 233 ayes, no nay, and four abstentions in a vote of 237 lawmakers in attendance at the plenary session on Tuesday.

The Se-rim Act was created as an initiative following an accident of Kim Se-rim (then age 3), who was killed after being run over by a van operated by the childcare center that she attended in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, in March last year. The centerpiece of the act, the obligation of institutions operating vehicles to deploy a safety guard on duty in their vehicles carrying children was proposed by the perennial “Stop Driving Violation” campaign of The Dong-A Ilbo.

“After Se-rim left from us due to a totally unthinkable accident, many people raised voices that such a tragedy should never happen again. Our painstaking efforts, including an online signature collection campaign, and motion to submit a revision bill to the act, has borne fruit through the revision of the act,” Kim said in welcoming the legislation. “However, no matter how good a measure has been adopted, it would be of no use if adults who should actually follow the rule fail to pay attention. Adults should create a culture where they voluntarily stop committing driving violations.”