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613-739-1535 csc@safety-council.org

Canada Safety Council advocates for seatbelts on coach buses

Jan 16, 2015 | 2015, News, Vehicle & Road Safety

OTTAWA – In the wake of Wednesday’s tragic bus rollover north of Toronto, the Canada Safety Council would like to reiterate its support for the installation and use of seatbelts in intercity coach tour buses.

Buses of all kinds are among the safest modes of transport, and serious collisions involving buses are relatively rare. But when serious collisions occur, rollovers and ejections are the major cause of fatalities to passengers.

“The big windows in coach buses are nice to look out of, but they typically break during a bus rollover,” explains Manager of Programs Raynald Marchand. “Especially on tour buses travelling at highway speeds, it would be prudent for buses to come equipped with seatbelts.”

In the United States, new tour buses and intercity buses must be equipped with seat belts starting in late 2016. In the United Kingdom, regulations requiring seatbelts for new tour buses and minibuses came into effect in 2001.

According to Transport Canada’s National Collision Database, from 2001 to 2011, the last year in which statistics were available, a total of 42 people died as a result of a collisions involving urban and intercity buses. Of that number, 32 were passengers. These fatalities represent a tiny proportion of the overall number of fatalities due to motor vehicle collisions, which by comparison, claim some 2,000 to 3,000 Canadians per year.

About the Canada Safety Council

The Canada Safety Council is an independent, knowledge-based, charitable organization dedicated to the cause of safety. We provide national leadership in safety through information, education and collaboration. We are Canada’s voice and resource for safety.

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For more information, please contact:

Coordinator, Communications and Media Program
Canada Safety Council
(613) 739-1535 (ext. 228)
General Manager, Programs
Canada Safety Council.
(613) 739-1535 (ext. 226)
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