2. STUDY OBJECTIVE
The objective of the study was to investigate the relative safety offered to
children of different ages by compartmentalization and by child restraints in
the context of travelling in school buses. Testing on an acceleration sled using
dummies representing children of different ages, mass and heights was performed
in order to achieve this.
3. SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
This study has demonstrated that:
- Children whose mass is 18 kg (40 lb.) and under, or until they reach
approximately 4½ years, would benefit from being restrained in child
restraints appropriate to their height and weight while travelling in a
school bus. Proposing an amendment to the universal lower and tether
anchorage regulations to extend their applicability to all new school buses
would facilitate the installation of child restraints in school buses.
- Older children continue to be well protected by school bus
compartmentalization.
4. REGULATORY CONSIDERATION
Based on this study, the Department is proposing to amend the Motor Vehicle
Safety Regulations to make the requirements of CMVSS 210.1 “User-Ready Tether
Anchorages for Restraint Systems”17 and CMVSS 210.2 “Lower Universal Anchorage
Systems for Restraint Systems”18 applicable to all new school buses. The
proposed amendments would introduce a requirement for all new school buses to be
equipped with user-ready tether and lower universal anchorages on every bench
seat: one set of user-ready tether and lower universal anchorages for each
school bus bench seat whose width is 762 mm or less, or two sets for school bus
bench seats wider than 762 mm.
Currently, the regulation requires that two forward-facing designated seating
positions be equipped with lower universal anchorages in all new buses whose
gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) is 4 536 kg or less.
Footnotes
17 Canada Gazette references to follow.
18 Canada Gazette references to follow.
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