Seat belt demands renewed after M40 deaths

THERE were fresh calls for seat belts to be made compulsory in coaches last night after 11 schoolchildren and their teacher died in a horrific motorway crash.

Safety experts and consumer groups argued that at least some of the children might have survived had they been wearing harnesses.

Ten children from Hagley Roman Catholic High School, near Stourbridge, Hereford and Worcester, died on the M40 near Warwick early yesterday when the converted Ford Transit van in which they were travelling ploughed into the back of a motorway maintenance vehicle parked on the hard shoulder. An 11th died in the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, last night.

Rescuers who pulled out four survivors and three dead children, before the van burst into flames said the children had been flung forward in a heap at the front of the vehicle and were unconscious. One fire brigade official said last night: 'If they hadn't been thrown forward and knocked unconscious, they might have had time to get out.'

A variety of groups, including the Consumers' Association and the RAC, again emphasised the need for seat belts, as they did last week after the M2 crash that killed 10 people. Edmund King, RAC campaigns manager, said: 'Tragically, this shows that we have been right in pressing for seat belts in buses and coaches.'

Frank Dobson, Labour transport spokesman, said: 'This will add to the growing concern about the safety of coaches, their layout and the question of the use of safety belts.'

The minibus was driven by Eleanor Fry, 35, the school's music and maths teacher, and was returning from the Schools' Proms at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Many of those killed were members of the school orchestra.

Another school minibus, driven by Bernard Tedd, head of physics, passed by 10 minutes later. Dr Tedd's decision to drive on and spare his pupils the sight of their dead schoolmates was widely praised.

Warwickshire police said it could be several days before the cause of the crash is established. Among the evidence is a traffic videotape of that stretch of road.

Emergency services said that Miss Fry might have been confused by an exposed 'keep left' arrow on the rear of the maintenance vehicle, although Warwickshire County Council officials insisted that the arrow had been covered.

The vehicle had been painting white lines on the motorway. It was displaying four flashing safety lights and had followed procedure to the letter, according to David Lynn, head of the engineering services department.

It was suggested yesterday that Miss Fry may have fallen asleep on an unlit stretch of the motorway, which has no services where motorists can rest. The AA said it had been warning of the dangers of motorway fatigue since before the 90-mile stretch between Birmingham and Oxford was opened two years ago.

Trip to disaster, pages 2 and 3

(Photograph omitted)