SAFETY: B.C. supports putting seat belts in buses
Support follows deadly bus crash in Saskatchewan
The B.C. government says it would support a federal decision that would legally require all auto manufacturers to install seat belts in buses.
The statement comes after the horrific April 6 bus crash in Saskatchewan that killed 16 hockey players and team officials and injured another 13, some seriously.
“The B.C. Motor Vehicle Act requires that drivers and passengers wear a seatbelt if it is available,” a spokeswoman for the provincial Ministry of Transportation said.
“When considering a regulation that would require manufacturers to install seat belts on all buses, this falls under the federal jurisdiction of Transport Canada.
“The majority of newly manufactured buses come with seat belts installed, and Transport Canada is considering a new requirement to make it mandatory. A final decision on this is expected later this year. We are supportive of that rule being applied in B.C. as it would further increase safety for everyone.”
On the other hand, seat belts in school buses could be redundant, or even dangerous if not properly installed, according to Transport Canada.
That’s because school buses are built such that seating is confined, seat backs are high and covered in impact-absorbing material, windows are small so children can’t be ejected from the vehicle in a crash, and school buses are built to not roll over.
“School buses have an excellent safety record in Canada,” a spokesman for Transport Canada said. They are not required to have seat belts because “their high-backed seats, which are padded and closely spaced together are specifically designed to protect schoolchildren in a crash.”
According to Transport Canada statistics, only three school bus occupants were killed (and 2,183 injured) in 27,952 school-bus collisions recorded from 2010 to 2015. That’s basically a death in one-tenth of one per cent of all school bus crashes.
Coach buses, such as the one carrying the Humboldt Broncos, are another matter entirely and Transport Canada has proposed to mandate seat belts on medium and large highway buses. New mandates are currently going through the regulatory process.
“We’ve been advocating for seat belts in coach buses for years,” Lewis Smith, manager of national projects for the Canada Safety Council, said. “Not all the facts are in yet, but it’s hard to say seat belts would have saved everyone’s life in Saskatchewan. The bus driver (who died in the crash) was strapped in.
“But a couple of people who were thrown clear of the bus, maybe or maybe not they would have been saved from being thrown through the window.”
According to Transport Canada figures, B.C. has the highest rate of seatbelt usage in the country (96.9 per cent), followed by Saskatchewan (96.8 per cent). Yukon has the lowest rate of seatbelt use at 78.1 per cent.
The United States enacted federal legislation in 2016 mandating seat belt use in coach buses.