The safety of Canada's road users is a top priority for the Government of Canada, and that starts with the safe transportation of our children.
While school buses have an excellent safety record in Canada and remain the safest means of transporting children to and from school, there are always opportunities to provide even greater protection for our children.
Today, the Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, the Honourable Anita Anand, announced that the Government of Canada is mandating perimeter visibility systems as a new feature to improve school bus safety. These systems help drivers detect children around the bus while it is stopped or travelling slowly.
These systems use a series of cameras mounted onto the outside of the bus, allowing bus drivers to see if anyone is around the bus before driving off. This technology offers enhanced visibility beyond what mirrors alone can provide. With this new regulation, Canada becomes the first country in the world to require new school buses to be fitted with this technology.
In addition to new perimeter visibility systems, the Government of Canada also introduced requirements for the installation of infraction cameras for manufacturers who wish to voluntarily install them on buses. An infraction camera could capture a photo of any vehicle illegally passing a bus.
These measures follow a 2020 Report of the Task Force on School Bus Safety, which recommended new measures to protect children outside the school bus, where they face the greatest risk.
