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WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 31, 1983
SEAT BELTS WILL HAVE TO BE WORN BY DRIVERS AND FRONT-SEAT PASSENGERS OF PRIVATE CARS FIRST REGISTERED ON OR AFTER AUGUST 1 1976. SUCH VEHICLES HAVE BEEN REQUIRED, SINCE THAT DATE, TO HAVE BELTS FITTED BUT THERE WAS NO OBLIGATION THAT THEY BE WORN.
THE LAW DOES ALLOW SOME EXEMPTIONS.
ONE EXEMPTION IS WHERE REVERSING IS INVOLVED, IF A CAR WAS MANUFACTURED BEFORE MID-1964 BUT WAS NOT REGISTERED UNTIL AFTER AUGUST 1, 1976 AS MIGHT HAPPEN WITH A VINTAGE CAR.
ANOTHER IS IF A PERSON IS SITTING IN THE MIDDLE POSITION OF A BENCH-TYPE SEAT. AND THERE IS PROVISION FOR CERTAIN MEDICAL EXEMPTIONS.
DRIVERS MUST ENSURE THAT THEY, AND THE FRONT-SEAT PASSENGER, WEAR BELTS.
OFFENDERS ARE LIABLE TO A MAXIMUM FINE OF $500 AND IMPRISONMENT FOR UP TO THREE MONTHS ON FIRST CONVICTION.
ON SUBSEQUENT CONVICTION, THIS COULD RISE TO A MAXIMUM OF $1 000 AND IMPRISONMENT FOR UP TO SIX MONTHS.
TEXTBOOKS ASSISTANCE CONTINUES
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THE SCHOOL TEXTBOOKS ASSISTANCE SCHEME, WHICH WAS INTRODUCED LAST YEAR WITH GREAT SUCCESS, WILL CONTINUE TO BE ADMINISTERED IN THE 1983-84 SCHOOL YEAR, A SPOKESMAN FOR THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT SAID TODAY.
UNDER THE SCHEME, THE GOVERNMENT WILL PAY, VIA BANK AUTOPAY SYSTEMS, A CASH GRANT TO THE PARENTS AND GUARDIANS OF ELIGIBLE PUPILS STUDYING IN PRIMARY AND JUNIOR SECONDARY CLASSES IN GOVERNMENT AND AIDED SCHOOLS AND THOSE OCCUPYING BOUGHT PLACES IN PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.
THOSE WHO ARE RECEIVING PUBLIC ASSISTANCE, HOWEVER, WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY. OLD AGE ALLOWANCE AND DISABILITY ALLOWANCE ARE NOT REGARDED AS PUBLIC ASSISTANCE.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID A FULL GRANT WILL BE $135 PER PUPIL PER ANNUM FOR PRIMARY SCHOOL PUPILS AND $325 PER PUPIL PER ANNUM FOR JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL PUPILS.
THE SPOKESMAN SAID THE CUT-OFF DATE FOR APPLICATION FOR THE GRANT IS SEPTEMBER 15 FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR 1983-84. THIS MEANS THAT ANY NEW PUPIL JOINING A SCHOOL AFTER THIS DATE WILL NOT BE ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THE GRANT THIS YEAR.
SCHOOLS MAY AWARD FULL OR HALF GRANTS BASED ON A POINTS SYSTEM GIVEN IN A TEXTBOOKS ASSISTANCE RECKONER.
THE SPOKESMAN NOTED THAT SCHOOLS MAY AWARD GRANTS TO ELIGIBLE PUPILS UP TO 25 PER CENT OF THEIR ACTUAL TOTAL ENROLMENT. FOR SCHOOLS WITH BOUGHT PLACES, THE CEILING IS CALCULATED AT 25 PER CENT OF THE NUMBER OF BOUGHT PLACES IN THE CLASSES.
/ भए SAID