Strengthening School Bus Safety in Canada

STRENGTHENING SCHOOL BUS SAFETY IN CANADA REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE ON SCHOOL BUS SAFETY FEBRUARY 2020 STRENGTHENING SCHOOL BUS SAFETY IN CANADA Developed by the Task Force on School Bus Safety Presented to the Council of Ministers of Transportation and Highway Safety February 14, 2020 Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre Renforcement de la sécurité des autobus scolaire [...] As school bus safety is a shared responsibility among federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) governments, school bus operators, and a diverse road safety community, on January 21, 2019, the FPT Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety (Council of Ministers) established an expert Task Force on School Bus Safety, comprised of FPT governments and the full range of sch [...] Recognizing that the greatest risk to school children is outside the bus, either from the bus itself or from passing motorists (79% of school aged fatalities involving a school bus occur outside the bus, in or near school bus loading zones), the Task Force’s consensus-based recommendations, informed by existing evidence, focus on supporting the bus driver with the driving task and deterring illega [...] This is why the Task Force on School Bus Safety was established in January 2019 with a commitment to take a fresh look at school bus safety, including the possibility - and implications - of mandating the installation of seatbelts on school buses. [...] In fact, the greatest risk to the safety of children using school bus transportation is outside the bus, either from the bus itself or from the surrounding traffic.