Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) (Amendment) Regulation 2025

Following the bus crash on Tai Po Road in 2018 that killed 19 passengers, the government set up the Independent Review Committee on Hong Kong’s Franchised Bus Service to review the cause of the accident and to review the safety regulations for bus services.^[1][2] The committee concluded that the government should conduct a cost/benefit analysis for retrofitting seat belts on the upper decks of buses, and consider if the public should be mandated to wear seat belts to reduce thrown out risks.^[3][1]

The Road Traffic (Safety Equipment) (Amendment) Regulation 2025 was gazetted on 5 September 2025 as a subsidiary legislation and subject to the procedure of "negative vetting", meaning the legislation is enacted unless the legislature objects to it. The regulation intends to impose new requirements for passengers to wear seat belts on buses, minibuses, taxis, and commercial vehicles when the seat belts are available. Passengers who failed to do so face fines of up to HK$5,000 or three months in prison.^[4][5] The legislation states that the amendments will be effective on 25 January 2026.^[4][6]

Upon gazettal, the regulation was passed to the Legislative Council.^[6][7] A committee was formed to examine the provisions at a meeting on 18 September, where all members supported strengthening safety measures and decided a public consultation is not needed as the government has already consulted industry stakeholders. The meeting lasted for three hours only.^[8] The law formally passed the legislature in October without amendments.^[9][2][6]

Chief Executive John Lee said while the new requirements would bring behavioural changes and inconveniences, they are intended to protect safety. He quoted statistics that seat belts can reduce the risk of death and serious injury of drivers and passengers in collisions by 40% and 70% respectively.^[10][11][12] However, the safety belt rules do not extend to standing passengers who are more vulnerable to safety hazards, prompting questions from the public.^[13] A Ming Pao report found that over the past decade, more than 70% deaths and over 59% of those injured critically in bus accidents are those standing in the bus.^[10]

Although the government repeatedly justify the new rules by the severity of the 2018 crash, the committee did not make any suggestion for legislating the mandatory wearing of seat belts. Lee himself did not wear the seat belt as well when filmed in 2023.^[14] He and officials added that mandatory wearing of seat belts is common across the globe, as foreign countries have adopted similar measures for a long time.^[4][15] The public on the other hand found that most of foreign rules on seat belts granted exemptions for urban bus routes, while the committee's report states that none of the reviewed overseas jurisdictions have statutory requirements for the seat belts, and that urban buses for short journeys have no such requirement. In response, the authorities said they decided against setting exemptions because roads in Hong Kong are more hilly, twisty, and complicated.^[11][3] Transport minister Mable Chan did not say whether government's explanations were misleading.

The regulation soon sparked widespread public backlash after coming into effect, mainly for the inconvenience caused. Under the law, bus operators should ensure the seat belts are well maintained and should not allow passengers to take a seat where the seat belt is not functioning.^[4][12] However, multiple seat belts were found to be not working or not maintained in good conditions. A passenger was trapped in his seat for 45 minutes after the lock of the belt was stuffed with an aluminum foil. The operation mobilised 16 firefighters, 4 medics and 3 fire trucks.^[16] On two separate occasions, a seat belt was cut off, and a passenger was arrested after assaulting another for wearing the belt slowly.^[10] The seat belts are also too short for passengers wearing thick clothes. Some preferred standing instead of sitting to avoid penalty.^[11][17][18] Mable Chan said she noted public's comments about the inconvenience and discomfort, as well as the hygiene concerns. She said the government aims to address and improve these matters as soon as possible.

The penalty of not abiding the rules is also slammed to be too harsh, which is more serious than jumping red lights or speeding.^[10] Officials said passengers should be responsible for their own safety, stressing the necessity to build up a behaviour in the society through deterrence by serious punishment.^[19][2] As the controversies grew, Chan said the police indicated that their emphasis will be on "education and publicity" in the initial phase of implementation, aiming to handle this in a humane way, and claiming the policy is not intended to punish passengers.^[20]

Former pro-government MP Chan Yuen-han suggested the government to ban all "British colonial" double-decker buses and prohibit standing in buses to ensure safety, saying double-decker is not suitable for terrains like Hong Kong.^[21]