This is why seat belts matter. Seat belts have long kept many thousands of Hongkongers safe or safer from unrestrained impact or ejection from vehicle crashes. It is a notable omission that they have not until now been required in bus fleets , and therefore a landmark for road safety that fastening them once they have been installed became mandatory from Sunday. Public cooperation is the essence of public transport safety. After all, an efficient, reliable and above all safe public transport system is important to the city’s competitiveness.