Safety standards on school buses and coaches must be reviewed urgently following the road accident in which almost 50 schoolboys were injured, according to the National Parents' Council.
Ms Rose Tully, secretary of the post-primary branch of the council, said the accident highlighted the issue of seating on school buses. She criticised road traffic transport regulations which allowed three children to sit on two seats without seat belts.
"In a lot of cases, three students are being seated on every two adult seats. That's quite unsatisfactory from a safety point of view," she said.
Commenting on coach safety in general, and not on Wednesday's crash, she said that overcrowding was a problem because it could distract a driver and cause an accident, "particularly when the person driving the bus is also supervising the bus".
She said: "We don't want to wait for a serious accident to happen before the Government acts. It should do something now."
The Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins raised the issue in the Dail yesterday, calling for safety features such as seat belts and emergency exits to be examined.
"The safety of the vehicle is crucial but what hasn't been looked at are regulations regarding passengers themselves. These should be studied urgently with a view not just to what's feasible or affordable but, more importantly, what's safe," he said.
Road traffic transport regulations in the State do not require the wearing of seat belts on coaches. They allow three children to sit on two seats without seat belts. The regulations state only that seat belts should be worn where available.
A discretionary EU directive recommends that member-states should introduce seat belts in all mini-buses and coaches. Britain - among other states - will introduce such a requirement from next year.
However, a spokesman for the Department of the Environment said there were no plans at the moment to implement the directive.
A report on the review of school transport is currently being examined by the Department of Education. A spokesman for the Department was unable to indicate yesterday when it would be published, or what action would be taken on foot of its recommendations.
The national school transport scheme incorporates 700 CIE buses and 1,500 coaches employed on a contract basis from private companies. Each bus must pass a Department of Environment roadworthiness test before it can be licensed.
