OTTAWA—Road user safety is a priority for the Government of Canada, and on the top of that priority list is the safe transportation of our school children.
In the government’s viewpoint school buses have an excellent safety record in Canada and are the safest way to transport children to and from school. Yet, even with this record, there are opportunities for improvement. This is the basis of why the Minister of Transport, the Honurable Omar Alghabra, announced proposed regulatory changes to further strengthen school bus safety.
The proposal recommends that:
- All new and imported school buses in Canada be equipped with extended stop arms and a new visibility system for the bus driver to better see around the bus; and
- Clear requirements be set for the voluntary installation of infraction cameras. These devices can help law enforcement catch unsafe driver behaviour around school buses.
The Minister of Transport believes that there can never be too many safety regulations when child safety is the goal. He sees this newly proposed visibility system gives bus drivers a better view around the bus. "When it comes to protecting our children, we can never be safe enough. Passing any school bus with its stop arm deployed is reckless, and these proposed measures will help deter this. At the same time, the new visibility system would give school bus drivers a better view around the outside of the bus. I want to thank the Task Force on School Bus Safety and our many partners for bringing this proposal forward,” stated the Honourable Omar Alghabra.
The proposal follows the 2020 Report of the Task Force on School Bus Safety, which recommends new measures to protect children outside the school bus, where they are at the highest risk.
It is estimated that approximately 2.2 million Canadian children travel to and from school everyday on over 50,000 school buses.
In July 2018, Transport Canada published new requirements to support the voluntary installation of three-point seatbelts on school buses.
Then, in January 2019, the Task Force on School Bus Safety was established by the federal, provincial, territorial Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety, to examine the issue of school bus safety, both inside and outside the bus.
The proposal announced July 6, 2022, by the Ministry of Transport follows the 2020 Report of the Task Force on School Bus Safety, which recommends new measures to protect children outside the school bus, where they are at the highest risk.
