A MUM - who claims her family could have been killed when a bus reversed into their car - is calling for more safety measures on public transport.

Katie Hay was waiting behind an Arriva bus when it began to reverse without warning, terrifying her children Rosie, 10 and Alex, eight.

"We were obviously very shocked and frightened," said Kate.

"My car is a write-off. But the most important thing is that we were alright. If the bus had hit us with more force we could have been seriously hurt or even killed."

Now Kate, of Townfields Road in Winsford, wants to make sure other families don't suffer the same fate.

She wants magnifying mirrors fitted in the rear window of every bus in the country.

"If the driver couldn't see a car behind him, then what would happen if a child was crossing the road," she said. "The vehicle wouldn't stop at all.

"The first thing the bus driver said was that he didn't see us because there was no magnifying mirror in the back window. So why aren't all buses installed with them?"

Len Cater, of Arriva Northwest, said the company had experimented with magnifying mirrors.

"Years ago we tried them out at our Merseyside depot," he said. "Some drivers found them useful but most said that they actually hindered the view outside. The mirrors give an out of focus appearance.

"However, we will look into this. It's something that has not been mentioned to us before. It will be a decision head office would have to take."

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