SCHOOL buses were put to the test when police officers carried out an operation to check their roadworthiness.

A team of roads policing officers lined up on Wednesday morning to meet coaches as they arrived at The Cooper School in Churchill Road, Bicester.

Sgt Scott Silk, from Bicester roads policing team, said: “This is part of the Brake charity’s awareness week – we’re promoting their ‘Too Young to Die’ slogan.

“It’s about educating motorists, children and young people on the roads and that includes focusing on the mechanics of vehicles.”

Brake Week, the national road safety charity’s annual awareness week, sees police forces around the country carrying out operations to highlight issues such as speeding, seatbelts and drink-driving.

Thames Valley Police have been checking seatbelts and car seats, targeting young bikers with safety information and cracking down on motorists who use their mobile phones while driving.

On Wednesday coach drivers were quizzed by police officers before being asked to take a routine breath test.

Meanwhile officers from the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) checked tyres, wheels and exhausts.

Sgt Silk said: “School bus drivers have to have special licences and we have to make sure that they are insured.

“Experience tells me not all school buses and coaches are legitimate when they should be, yet parents are trusting them to take their children to school.”

All of the coaches checked in the operation passed and none needed maintenance work.

Keith Montague, 61, from Bicester who has been driving coaches for more than 30 years and was one of the drivers breathalysed, said he was happy to help.

He said: “They checked the vehicle, checked for safety and made sure everything was okay and legal.

“I quite agree with it all myself – it’s for the safety of the kids.

“There are buses and coaches out there that shouldn’t be.”

Headteacher Ben Baxter said: “We always state that safeguarding children is our top priority.

“We do that on a day-to-day basis in the school, keeping the children safe in a calm educational environment and obviously we also want to make sure they get to school in a safe way.”