On this page
- Background
- Infraction cameras
- Extended stop signal arms
- Exterior 360° cameras
- Automatic emergency braking
- Coming into force
Background
School buses are the safest form of student transportation in Canada. Taking a school bus is the safest way for students to get to school, and is safer than being driven in a passenger vehicle, riding a bicycle or walking.
The Government of Canada is always trying to improve road safety. In October 2018, Minister Garneau asked Transport Canada to look at school bus safety. As part of this work, we’ve reviewed studies and existing technologies to see what changes could be made.
In January 2019, the Council of Ministers Responsible for Transportation and Highway Safety created a Task Force on School Bus Safety. The Task Force’s role is to review safety standards and operations, both inside and outside school buses.
In February 2020, the Task Force published its Report of the Task Force on School Bus Safety, which included recommendations to explore that could improve school bus safety, including:
- infraction cameras
- extended stop arms
- exterior 360° cameras
- automatic emergency braking
Transport Canada is consulting the public to see if these features should be required on all new school buses regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. You can find more information below on each proposed technology.
Infraction cameras
Infraction cameras may discourage motorists from passing a school bus when its stop arm is out, which is often when children are crossing. There are currently no federal standards for how they’re installed, and for now, they’re not being installed on new school buses by any original equipment manufacturer.
Passing a stopped school bus is illegal in every Canadian province and territory. Provinces and Territories are therefore responsible for enforcing cases of illegally passing a school bus. By requiring this feature on all new school buses, motorists may be discouraged from passing a stopped school bus. It could therefore lead to fewer serious injuries and deaths to children and other pedestrians while they cross in front of a school bus.
If we regulate this technology, we may do so by requiring the camera hardware on all new school buses regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act. This will allow each province and territory to set their own requirements for enforcing and detecting violations.
Provinces and territories are responsible for setting the requirements to activate and use infraction camera systems. This includes:
- how data is stored
- how photos or video are reviewed
- setting rules around allowable use and transfer
- enforcing the law and issuing tickets
- collecting evidence
- deciding whether photos or video could be used in court
If we require this technology, we may use outcome-based regulations.
By requiring this feature on all new school buses regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, we could avoid serious injuries and deaths.
As part of this consultation, we’d like to know:
- What information would be beneficial to manufacturers to help them determine if they meet outcome-based regulations?
- Do you support the mandatory installation of infraction camera hardware on Canadian school buses? Do you also support the use of outcome-based regulations to mandate this technology?
- Would installing infraction camera hardware on school buses encourage your jurisdictions to implement detection and enforcement requirements of those systems?
- We’re also considering requiring that labels be installed at the rear of every school bus to inform nearby motorists that the school bus is equipped with an infraction camera. Do you think labeling could improve general safety in your communities? Why?
Extended stop signal arms
An extended stop signal arm is a device that extends out from the side of the school bus to indicate to motorists in front of, and behind, a school bus that they must stop. It is different from the current stop signal arm required on school buses as it extends out further from the side of the school bus and also blocks vehicles from passing the bus. Currently, extended stop signal arms are only an optional aftermarket product, and aren’t made by a bus’ original equipment manufacturer.
School buses are already required to be equipped with at least one stop signal arm that must meet Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 131 – School Bus Pedestrian Safety Devices. The technical standard doesn’t limit the length of a stop signal arm when it’s deployed, but it includes:
- size requirements for the stop signal and letters
- requirements for reflective material and lighting
- information on where the stop signal should be installed on the school bus
If we require extended stop signal arms, we may use an outcome-based approach to regulations and require that extended stop signal arms also meet Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 131 – School Bus Pedestrian Safety Devices. Outcome-based regulations focus on the results we want from a regulation, instead of a specific process or action that must be followed. Please read our explanation on outcome-based regulations for more information.
By requiring buses to have this technology, we may prevent motorists from passing stopped school buses. This may protect children and other pedestrians from serious injury and death.
As part of this consultation, we’d like to know:
- Do you support the mandatory installation of extended stop signal arms on school buses? Do you also support the use of outcome-based regulations to mandate this technology? If you don’t support the installation of extended stop signal arms, what are your concerns?
- Should extended stop signal arms be required to meet at least the same technical standards as the current stop signal arms? If so, why?
- Should extended stop signal arms be required to form physical barriers to prevent vehicles from passing the bus in adjacent lanes of traffic?
- Could installing an extended stop signal arm increase the risk of death or serious injury for a motorist that collides with the barrier?
- Should extended stop signal arms have a prescribed maximum extension length?
Exterior 360° cameras
Exterior 360° camera systems help drivers see nearby vulnerable road users while the vehicle is stopped or moving slowly.
These systems include a series of exterior vehicle cameras that are connected to a display for the driver. The cameras provide views around the vehicle which are difficult to see with mirrors alone. Some school bus manufacturers offer their own versions of 360° camera systems as an option on new school buses. Other systems are available as aftermarket features, and are made by third-party manufacturers.
If we require this technology, we may use outcome-based regulations. Please read our explanation on outcome-based regulations for more information.
By requiring this feature on all new school buses regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, we could help bus drivers detect children and other road users, which could lead to fewer serious injuries and deaths.
As part of this consultation, we’d like to know:
- Do you support the mandatory installation of 360° camera systems on Canadian school buses? Do you also support the use of outcome-based regulations to mandate this technology?
- The proposed 360° camera systems will be able to provide a full view of the perimeter of the school bus and display those views on the driver’s monitor. What are the challenges of fitting these 360° camera/monitor systems to school buses?
Automatic emergency braking
Automatic emergency braking is a technology that monitors a vehicle’s surroundings when it is in motion, and automatically applies the brakes if an imminent crash is detected.
The system doesn’t replace the driver’s reaction, but is a last resort to reduce speed if a driver doesn’t react. By slowing the vehicle before a collision, the collision will be less severe, and in some cases it could be completely avoided.
By requiring this feature on all new school buses regulated under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, we may reduce the severity of collisions, and avoid serious injuries and deaths.
We’re also holding a separate online consultation on whether automatic emergency braking systems should be included on new vehicles, including school buses. This will help use create new regulations or change existing ones for all classes of vehicles, including school buses.
Coming into force
This is an informal consultation. If a regulatory proposal is created based on this notice, it would be published with a proposed coming into force date in the Canada Gazette, Part I, followed by a formal comment period. Any new regulatory requirement would come into force after it is published in the Canada Gazette, Part II.