Review of Bus Safety Issues - Passenger Protection in Buses Other Than School Buses

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Review of Bus Safety Issues
TP 13330 E

•	Abstract & Index
•	Abbreviations
•	Introduction
•	Bus Data
•	Bus Safety – General
•	Passenger Protection
•	School Bus Passenger Protection
•	Conclusions
•	Summary of Transport Canada Bus Safety Programs
•	Bibliography
•	Terms of Reference

•	Road Safety's Main Menu

Transport Canada > Road Safety > Review of Bus Safety Issues - Abstract

Bus Manufacturing
Structural Integrity
Emergency Exits and Flammability of Interior Materials
Passenger Impact Protection
Seat Belts
Transport Canada's Approach to Bus Safety (other than school buses)
Transport Canada Program - Passenger Protection in Buses Other Than School Buses

Bus Manufacturing

Relatively few manufacturers supply Canada’s bus operators. Intercity buses are made by a small number of multinational companies, with MCI and Prevost manufacturing in Canada. There are three transit bus manufacturers in Canada; New Flyer, Nova and Ontario Bus Industries. Traditional intercity and transit bus manufacturers have been quite separate but Nova bus is, like Prevost, owned by Volvo, and Neoplan in the U.S. makes both intercity and transit buses in one plant.

"Retro" style city tourist buses, small-order transit buses and a variety of multi-use buses come from medium and smaller Canadian and U.S. manufacturers, including school bus manufacturers. There are imported traditional intercity buses and imported used buses, such as English double deckers, operate in many cities.

There are also van-type or van-based buses made by major global automotive companies either directly or with modifications by a variety of specialized final-stage manufacturers. All buses, small or large, have interchangeable use, although special design makes certain buses less than ideal for another duty.

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Structural Integrity

While there have been individual incidents of body structural failure in major impacts¹, the design of contemporary intercity and transit buses in Canada has not been seriously brought into question. There are, therefore, few Canadian or U.S. federal standards that address structural integrity. CMVSS 217, "Bus Window Retention" and CMVSS 205, "Glazing Materials", are relevant. Europe has a roof integrity standard for buses, ECE Regulation 66.

North American bus manufacturing is changing from an isolated major company industry, with a limited number supplying Canada, to a global company industry together with many local medium to small body builders supplying a variety of buses for transit, intercity and specialized purposes. New bus designs and new methods of construction could make assumptions about the structure of traditional North American buses less true in future.

ECE Regulation 66 specifies a roof strength test together with alternative certification methods. Australia already applies the standard as a complement to its seat belt requirement and the European Union is about to adopt it. It would be expected that present traditional North American buses would pass the test.

Under part of CMVSS 217, bus window frames must withstand an outward force intended to represent possible ejection. The specified test is complete when the window glass breaks, since there is no advantage in having a frame significantly stronger than the glass it holds. Glass specification (CMVSS 205) is therefore an issue in preventing ejection, as, for example, for passenger car windshields.

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Emergency Exits and Flammability of Interior Materials

Accident records of buses other than school buses do not identify emergency exits or flammability of interior materials as concerns. At present most buses have emergency exits that exceed the minimum requirements of CMVSS and FMVSS 217. Canada and the U.S. are in harmony except that the Canadian standard requires bilingual labeling and allows only push-out emergency exit windows. The U.S. allows sliding windows. ECE Regulation 36 also has an emergency exit standard.

There is a possible compromise between generous emergency exits and designing against the possibility of ejection in a severe collision.

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Passenger Impact Protection

In the ten years 1987 to 1996 there were 44 bus passengers killed and bus passengers injured in buses other than school buses or urban transit buses². For buses specifically identified as "intercity" there were 7 fatalities (average less than 1 per year) and 1403 injuries. One accident in 1997, however, claimed 43 lives³.

Many serious bus crashes are fully documented by Transport Canada investigators. The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board also investigates and publishes information on major bus crashes.

Of the 4665 injuries in Canada, the majority are minor⁴. Less than 250⁵ involved admission to hospital. The relatively small numbers of identified serious injuries and fatalities limit statistical information on potential passenger impact protection measures. Detailed anecdotal information provides some pointers.

There are various possible solutions to passenger injury. Among them are: additional body structural integrity; window retention designed to resist ejection; school bus style seating compartmentalization; and seat padding. It is also possible that some of the injuries could be addressed by careful attention to fittings such as seatback tables, overhead luggage racks and video screen attachments.

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Seat Belts

Seat belts would be of potential benefit in only a very few cases. They would need management by bus operators and reliable use by passengers to achieve effectiveness. The benefit is too uncertain to impose seat belts without a clear demand for a standard from the public and the motor carrier industry.

In rare tragic crashes involving serious intrusion, by, for example, another heavy vehicle, or the tearing apart of the bus body, seat belts would not provide the necessary protection. Seat belts could, in other cases, reduce ejection or contact with the bus interior or other passengers, which, when they occur, are instruments of injury.

Two point seat belts help to prevent ejection or being thrown from a seating position⁶ and are relatively easy to install and use. Three point seat belts provide some performance enhancement but have their own disadvantages, including complexity and difficulties with use and comfort. In either case portions of the bus interior need to be redesigned to reflect passenger crash dynamics with specific kinds of seat belts⁷.

Recent amendments to ECE Regulation 14 specify seat belts for passenger seats in highway coaches, replacing an earlier guideline for seat belts only in "exposed seats", usually the first row⁸. ECE Regulation 80 specifies seat mounting standards based on dynamic or static tests. There are no equivalent North American standards for buses.

The new ECE seat belt regulations specify at least two point belts and have accompanying seat impact tests. There are separate specific tests should the manufacturer choose to install three point belts. The ECE amendments result from some "spectacular accidents" even though touring coaches "are the safest means of transportation, safer than aircraft, railway, truck and passenger car"⁹. The European Union is adopting the seat belt requirements, which phase-in for large coaches in 1999 and small coaches in 2001.

Australia’s Design Rule 68 requires, since 1994, three-point seat belts in "heavy omnibuses" and has its own accompanying seat tests. Australia acted before an international standard was in effect as a result of a series of tragic fatal collisions involving violent bus impacts with other heavy vehicles. There was indication of seat failure contributing to injury in those crashes. Australia designed-in, and maintains the need for, a higher dynamic force requirement than in the ECE standard. Verbal reports on crashes with more recent coaches suggest that the Australian standard is successful at addressing seat failure and retaining passengers. Fatalities have occurred only among non-belted passengers.

In Canada, large-vehicle to bus crashes are rarer and seat failure is not identified as an issue. Cost of initial seat belt installation¹⁰ is almost certainly a minor factor compared with the cost of a new bus. The overall cost of seat belts includes, however, first installation, maintenance in good and clean operating condition, and a program to ensure proper use by passengers. The last two require commitment by the operator supported by government enforcement.

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Transport Canada's Approach to Bus Safety (other than school buses)

Transport Canada is one among many players involved in the question of bus safety. Any action towards a change in safety regulation policy begins with consultation at least with governments: provincial/territorial, the U.S. NHTSA and FHWA; and with industry: bus manufacturers, bus operators and tour operators (purchasers of bus charters). The cooperation of all those interests, as well as the public, is necessary for successful safety regulation.

The Road Safety Directorate is the lead agency responsible for developing Canadian new vehicle standards in harmony with the U.S. and, ideally, the ECE. The North American bus manufacturing and operating industry is integrated enough that there is value to Canada/U.S. harmony in vehicle construction and operating standards. This is most true for intercity buses and other buses which are more likely to see similar duties on both sides of the Canada/U.S. border and into Mexico.

Intercity bus collisions are on the priority list for investigation by multidisciplinary collision investigation teams under Transport Canada contract. There are comprehensive reports on a high proportion of significant bus crashes and summary reports are prepared at various intervals. Many bus safety issues are followed-up with manufacturers by the safety defect investigation group. These investigations can result in design modifications and vehicle recalls.

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Transport Canada Program - Passenger Protection in Buses Other Than School Buses

Transport Canada continually reviews its own and other agencies’ bus standards.
The Department seeks to involve the many government, industry and user stakeholders in developing bus passenger safety regulatory policy.
Transport Canada maintains, and supports provincial governments in maintaining, Canada/U.S. safety regulation harmony, particularly for buses that operate across borders.
Officials represent Canada on the ECE committee on occupant restraints, which developed the referenced European bus passenger safety regulations.
International standards are adopted where possible, when they meet safety needs and are consistent with Canadian regulatory policy.

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