The mother of an 11-year-old girl who died after being hit by a car when she got off her school bus said she just wants to see the law put in place ‘before there is another accident’.

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Caitlin Rose McMullan died after being hit by a car in Castledawson, Co Londonderry, in March 2025.

Her mum Stella McGinn said her daughter may not have lost her life if there had been "bus safety in place".

After carrying out a campaign calling for legislation to prohibit drivers overtaking school buses which have stopped to drop off or pick up their passengers, First Minister Michelle O’Neill last week on ‘X’ said: ‘Progress is being made to make it illegal to overtake school buses while children are getting on or off.

‘I met with our Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins for an update on this vital work, and it was great to hear that the Minister is moving at pace to progress this law.

‘Keeping children safe on our roads is a priority for Sinn Féin, and this would make us among the first in Europe to introduce this law’.

On seeing the statement, SDLP Councillor Denise Johnston posted a video saying: ‘I am absolutely delighted that there will be legislation put in place that will make it illegal for cars to overtake a school bus when it is stopping to leave off or collect pupils, so that is exactly what we had asked for.

‘At one stage I was very worried and concerned that that was not going to happen, but if Michelle O’Neill says it is going to happen, well I hope it is going to happen.

‘But we will take a close look at changes to the legislation once it come through’.

The SDLP Councillor added: ‘I am thinking very much of the parents of any child that has lost their lives or had life-changing injuries after disembarking from a school bus.

‘And there are many of them out there whose lives are forever tainted with that tragedy and they live with that sadness.

‘I am thinking of them as they will be relieved that no other child will go through what they are their family have had to go through, but there will also be a sadness that something like this was not in place to save the life of their child.

‘I am also thinking very much of Stella McMullan who really pushed this (legislation) forward after the death of Caitlin Rose last year.

‘We will keep applying the pressure to make sure this is delivered, sooner rather than later, because everything goes at a snails pace and during that time other people can lose their lives.

‘And we have had an elderly man who lost his life disembarking from a bus and another child who was seriously injured, so it is very important that this legislation is put in place as soon as possible.

‘My thoughts and prayers are with those families who have lost a child in this manner, because there is nothing worse than losing your child’.