School buses are one of the safest ways for children to get to school, yet many people fail to obey laws upholding school bus safety. Consequently, most injuries that occur happen when exiting the bus, outside the bus, or crossing the street.
As a road user, it is important you are extra cautious of your road use patterns around school buses. Not only can your actions be extremely dangerous, but they may also be illegal.
To combat these dangerous behaviours in Ontario, there are strict laws ensuring adherence. Additionally, as of September 2020, the Ministry of Transportation has made it easier for cities and municipalities to ensure adherence to laws using cameras on school bus stop arms. By the end of the 2021 school year in the Niagara region, cameras were used on 25% of all Niagara Region Transportation Services (NSTS) bus routes. Cameras provide a preventative measure to encourage other road users to be diligent around buses, but also allow for investigation should any incident occur.
The addition of cameras on school buses makes sharing the road possible by ensuring accountability and helps ensure children are safe at all times on shared streets.
Resources
Niagara Student Transportation Services. (2021). Video Surveillance on School Buses. Retrieved from https://www.nsts.ca/policy-service/cameras-on-school-buses.
Ontario Ministry of Transportation. (2020). School bus safety. Retrieved from http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/safety/school-bus-safety.shtml.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in blog entries are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Heart Niagara.