Two weeks ago, a 12-year-old boy lost his life after he was hit by a car in Øygarden. The accident happened at the same time as a bus stopped and dropped off passengers. The boy ended up on the road for an unknown reason, and was hit by a car. The bus was an ordinary scheduled bus that passes the school the boy went to, and had many students on board. Since school buses are often part of the ordinary scheduled bus service in Norway, it is impossible to know if there are children on board the buses. Other motorists on the road should be notified when buses carry school children, Trygg Trafikk believes. A 12-year-old boy died after he was hit by a car in Øygarden. The accident happened when the car passed a bus that was at a bus stop at Torsvik junction in Øygarden. Photo: Cato Heldal Kristensen Lamp flashes Norway should learn from school buses in the USA, says Bård Morten Johansen, head of traffic safety at Trygg Trafikk. – A light flashes when the children get off the bus. At the same time, no cars are allowed to pass the bus during disembarkation at a stop, he says. He points out that the yellow school buses in the USA have a lot of positive things about them: The buses are visible and recognizable, so that everyone knows that there are kids on board. The school transport is clearly signposted. There are flashing lights in front and behind. It is forbidden to drive past the bus when it is at rest to let the children get on and off. He believes that there should at least be a minimum requirement for the buses. – We should at least have a label that becomes active as you have school children on the bus. It is possible to use signs or flashing yellow lights on the bus, he believes. Senior adviser Bård Morten Johansen in Trygg Trafikk believes that Norwegian public transport companies should learn from school buses in the USA. Photo: Erland Knutsen / news Several pedestrians hit In the last five years, 20 pedestrians have been hit after getting off a bus, figures from the Norwegian Public Roads Administration show. Six were seriously injured, while 14 were slightly injured in the accidents. Two of the pedestrians were hit by a cyclist, one by tractor and one by truck. The rest were hit by a car. The bus itself was not directly involved in any of the accidents. Critical to labeling But the head of department at Trygg Trafikk does not receive support from NHO Transport. – It is generally safe to travel by bus, without them being particularly marked with school children on board, says Jofri Lunde, head of business policy at NHO Transport. She does not want to replace the buses that also run school children. Lunde emphasizes that all bus passengers are equally important. Therefore, she believes that there is little point in notifying who is on board. She believes that other factors are more important to improve accuracy: – Transport must be safe with a good bus and a good driver, you should have the stops that are suitable for school students and rather consider the infrastructure and speed limit, she says. Jofri Lunde, head of business policy at NHO Transport, which represents all the bus companies in Norway, does not want the yellow school buses from the USA to Norway. She also does not want to warn the surroundings when the buses drive children, because all passengers are important. Photo: Moment Studio / Moment Studio Warns with stickers It is mandatory to notify bus passengers of the danger by crossing the road before the bus has left. The public transport company Skyss informs news that they have stickers that say “do not cross the road until the bus has run” in all their buses in Western Norway. But that does not hold, says Johansen in Trygg Trafikk. – A piece of tape is not enough. We believe a little too much in human judgment, and are a little too unwilling to reduce speed limits in high-risk areas, he believes. Wanted to slow down, but got no There is an 80-zone on the stretch where the fatal accident happened in Øygarden, and not a transition field. The driver of the car was charged with negligent driving under the Road Traffic Act after the accident. The police have secured video recordings from the bus of parts of the accident. news has previously mentioned that the locals have asked for a lower speed limit along the stretch, but have been refused. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has the last word when the “right” speed limit is to be set on county roads. In 2019, the Norwegian Public Roads Administration believed that the 80-zone was correct, because the section is outside densely populated areas, and that nearby dwellings, kindergartens and schools are a screen from the road.
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Boy (12) was hit in Øygarden – Trygg Trafikk thinks Norway should copy the school buses in the USA – news Vestland
