Motorists face new driving laws in September banning drivers from common manoeuvres

The move follows a series of fatal and serious collisions involving pupils across Northern Ireland, with the Minister hoping to add more legislation to prevent cases from growing.

Liz Kimmins has announced her intention to bring forward legislation which will prohibit vehicles from overtaking school buses which regularly stop to drop off or pick up their passengers.

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Under the new enforcement proposal, drivers who fail to wait while a school bus is dropping off pupils will be liable for a fixed penalty notice.

The size of the fine has not yet been disclosed, but the Department for Infrastructure said that it intends to have the penalties "available for use by the beginning of the new school term in September".

Kimmins said: "Road safety is a priority for me, and recent tragic events have highlighted the need for all of us to be cognisant of the safety of children when they are getting on or off school buses.

"Having asked officials within the department to explore the issue, it is now my intention to introduce legislation which will prohibit the overtaking of school buses."

She explained that the new rules would help deter drivers from overtaking buses with strengthened measures aiming to improve safety for children.

"Too many families have had their world shattered by receiving the worst possible news after a loved one has set out on a routine journey," Kimmins shared.

She added: "I have met grieving families and heard their heartbreaking stories. I am committing to introducing legislation to help prevent more lives from being devastated.

"While legislation is being prepared, there are actions we can all take that will help us reach our goal - take more care on the roads, slow down and ignore our mobile phones."

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The DfI is currently working on a draft for the new regulations, but no firm Assembly timetable has been published. On top of the tightened rules, the department will also expand 20mph school safety zones and work on the delivery of the Graduated Driver Licensing scheme.

The scheme would introduce restrictions on newly qualified drivers during the first six months of receiving their licence. The measures would limit the time of day drivers can travel as well as how many passengers they can have in vehicles.

The DfI shared: "The aim of the Graduated Driver Licensing scheme is to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries attributed to young drivers/motorcyclists in the age range 17 to 23 and new drivers/riders in general.

"GDL will be introduced in the near future, and will establish a revised training and testing regime and some post-test restrictions for car drivers and motorcyclists."

While the Department for Transport has ruled out introducing licence restrictions across the UK, due to the DfI not being governed by the authority and both operating as separate entities, it could push the new rules into action.

Highway Code rule 167 explicitly states that drivers should not overtake buses if it means "you would have to enter a lane reserved for buses, trams or cycles during its hours of operation".

If the driver was forced to break the speed limit to overtake the bus, they could be slapped with a £100 penalty and three penalty points on their licence.

In more serious cases, this could increase to up to a £2,500 fine and six points on their licence, depending on the speed and road.