PORT HARDY, B.C. – School District 85 is open to the concept of seat belts on school buses.
That’s according to the district’s manager of operations and maintenance Darby Gildersleeve.
“The school district is very interested in pursuing seat belts on buses, and think that seat belts are certainly worthwhile in saving lives,” Gildersleeve said.
On Jan. 21, Federal Transport Minister Marc Garneau announced the creation of a task force on the issue.
Garneau said the task force – made up of provinces, territories, and school bus manufacturers – will explore the possibility of putting seat belts in existing buses.
The minister added that while the federal government has the jurisdiction of mandating seat belts in school buses, it will be up to each province to retrofit them.
Regarding retrofitting district school buses to accommodate seat belts, Gildersleeve said “I’m not entirely sure (that) it makes sense to retrofit but we’re still pursuing that very option.”
Moving forward, Gildersleeve said the district is looking at specific needs within the district.
Gildersleeve said seatbelts are “seriously being (looked at) as steps into the future.”
The concept of seat belts on school buses has been a hot-button issue after CBC’s The Fifth Estate reported that a Transport Canada report in 2010 showed that school buses without seat belts had failed safety tests.
