Watch the video above: some are calling for more stringent safety measures after recent school bus collisions
SASKATOON – After several recent collisions involving school buses, debate over whether or not seat belts and winter tires should be made mandatory has been resurrected.
In mid-January a Sun West School Division bus carrying seven children rolled into a ditch in central Saskatchewan. The driver lost control of the vehicle due to icy road conditions.
The school division has since been thrust into the spotlight after a fatal collision on Monday involving yet another one of its buses.
READ MORE: Woman killed in crash near Biggar, Sask. related to children on bus
Forty-year-old Monica Domes was killed when she was struck by a bus carrying three children. Two of them were her twin boys.
“In the schools they’ll do fire drills around lockdowns, emergencies – same thing with our buses,” said Guy Tetrault, director of education for school division.
Area residents say the driver involved in Monday’s crash was also at the wheel when the bus hit the ditch.
Tetrault remains mum on the matter, but insists his drivers are equipped with safety handbooks and emergency training is done annually with students.
“Winter tires themselves are not mandatory in Saskatchewan, though SGI does recommend their use,” said Ciaran Downes, SGI’s manager of vehicle standards and inspections.
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“School buses must be inspected at least once a year or every six months if they’re operating outside of Saskatchewan.”
According to Canada Safety Council, school buses are 16 times safer than travelling in a family car.
The council says there’s no scientific evidence to suggest that lives would be saved by retrofitting school buses with seat belts.
Instead the council says buses protect passengers through compartmentalization, including seats with high backs, filled with energy-absorbing material.
In the meantime, SGI is welcoming public feedback on the topic. Members of the public can visit its website to have their say or head over to SGI’s Twitter and Facebook sites.
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