Bus seatbelts being considered after Oregon crash
Posted January 3, 2013 12:07 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER(NEWS1130)- The question is raised everytime there’s a deadly crash, putting seatbelts in buses and motor coaches.
In Canada, there is no current requirement for tour buses to have seatbelts since it is felt by regulators and the industry that enough protection is provided by the high-backed padded seats.
Darian Tooley with Pacific Coach Lines agrees.
“The manufacturers state the back of your seat is designed to support forward pressure on impacts,” she says.
She says putting seatbelts in older buses is complicated.
“We have to involve engineers as buses have to be properly retrofitted and structurally correct because the seatbelt anchors also have to withstand impacts,” she says.
Transport Canada says it is evaluating the benefits of seatbelts in buses, but says it is not yet sure the changes would save lives.
It does note buckling-up would prevent being ejected from the vehicle, which happened in the Oregon crash.
