Now that school bus lighting has been improved, the Let's Remember Adam Campaign Committee is looking at having Stop Arm Safety Systems installed on school buses.
It's pushing, and working with municipalities across Ontario to get them as part of bus safety measures.
"The power to have these systems installed is in the hands of the local municipalities, your mayors, and councillors," says Campaign Chair Pierre Ranger, Adam's brother. "With election season fast approaching I hope everyone who is running has this on their mind because the City of North Bay needs to make this change and needs to make their school buses safer."
There have been some major changes to school buses in Ontario this year.
All school buses in Ontario must be equipped with the new eight-lamp amber-red warning system, which means there is a new set of amber flashing lights at the top front and back of the school bus.
These amber Lights will come on when the school bus is about to make a stop to pick up or drop off children. When they are activated, this will let drivers know that they need to slow down, prepare to stop, and watch for children. Then the red flashing lights will come on and the stop arm with a stop sign and flashing lights will come out. At that time drivers need to stop.
There is also new wording on the back of the school bus which reads “ DO NOT PASS WHEN RED LIGHTS FLASHING.”
See: New school bus lighting format hopes to improve student safety
"With these changes Let’s Remember Adam is hoping this will make it more clear what the school bus is doing to the driving public and bring us up to date with the rest of North America as Ontario was the only place that had not yet adopted the amber lights on school buses," explains Ranger.
Ranger is also asking you to spread the message in the next upcoming weeks that school buses will be back on the road soon and that drivers need to be ready.
"They need to pay attention, slow down, don’t be distracted, Be Patient, Leave a little extra time if they are commuting during busing hours, watch for children that walk to and from school, and above all else STOP FOR THE SCHOOL BUS," says Ranger.
