School Bus Safety

Whereas motor vehicle seat belt laws have been fundamental to improved road safety in Canada over the past 40 years; And whereas the US National Transportation Safety Board is now recommending three-point seat belts in all new school buses and 37 states are now either requiring three-point seat belts for school buses or have started down the legislative pathway towards this requirement; And whereas Transport Canada recognizes that seat belts on school buses can offer added protection for school-age children, have created technical requirements for their installation and use, and allow provinces, territories and school bus operators to decide whether to install seat belts; And whereas the Ministry of Education has the authority to set standards to protect the safety of public school students in British Columbia, and the Ministry of Public Safety and the Office of the Solicitor General are responsible for regulating road safety in British Columbia: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM call upon the BC Ministry of Education and the BC Ministry of Public Safety to mandate that all buses transporting students in British Columbia be equipped with seat belts that meet Transport-Canada regulatory standards and institute programs to assure those belts are used safely.