The case in summary: Bus drivers in Norway have problems with their backs and necks, which they believe are caused by driving over many speed bumps. Bus drivers Freddy Kulblik and Mona Andersen say that they and several colleagues struggle with back and neck pain. Yrkestrafikkforbundet says that there is a major shortage of bus drivers in the country. The bus drivers suggest alternatives to speed bumps, such as speed bumps, more speed cameras and a more visible police force. The Ministry of Transport writes in an e-mail that it is unfortunate if drivers have been injured as a result of wear and tear on the job. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration confirms that speed cushions are less burdensome for larger vehicles such as buses, but they require more maintenance. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAI. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – We can’t think of driving within the speed limit here, says Freddy Kulblik. The stretch in Sarpsborg is a 40-zone, but bus driver Kulblik slows down to 10 kilometers per hour. He does this to take care of his own health, and the bus he drives. For the past 18 years, he has been transporting passengers around. – My back hurts every time I stand up. You get a lot of occupational injuries from this, that’s quite clear, says Kulblik. Photo: Julie Helene Günther Consequences During a working day, Kulblik drives over anywhere from 50 to 300 speed bumps. They are cramped, in different sizes and many are poorly marked. As a bus driver, you sit higher than you do in an ordinary passenger car, and the speed bumps are well felt. – You don’t notice it until it creeps up on your body, those prolapses. It took many years before I noticed that I had three prolapses, says Mona Andersen. She drives a bus in Moss, about half an hour away from Kulblik. – It is a nationwide problem. It is not just us in Østfold who are struggling with this, says Andersen. Bus driver Mona Andersen struggles with pain in her back and neck after many years as a professional driver. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news The two drivers say that they know several others who have also had prolapses, and who struggle with back and neck pain. They believe the speed bumps are to blame. – There are repeated blows to the lower back and a movement that is not healthy over time, says Kulblik. They have been warning about the problem for several years. He says that this has been raised in the trade unions, the municipality and the employer. Several bus drivers report that they get neck and back problems after driving over many speed bumps every day. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news Drivers quit their jobs 7,000 bus drivers around the country are organized in the Yrkestrafikkforbundet. They say that there is a great shortage of bus drivers in the country. – In Norway, there will be a need for between 2,500-3,000 new drivers every year for the next 5 years, says communications manager Adrian Pracon. He says that several drivers find themselves forced to quit because of the strain they experience from driving over so many speed bumps. There are several different speed bumps. This was set up in Halden in 2021 and falls down if road users drive too fast. Photo: Henrik D. Meyer / Halden municipality The speed bumps around the country are not the same either. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration has a guide that the municipalities and county councils can use. There they recommend how the various speed bumps should be designed. – We know that in many places father humps are made with too poor a standard. Often because the knowledge of bus-friendly speed bumps is not present, but also because many routes are diverted to places that do not have a good standard for buses, says Pracon. The Ministry of Transport writes in an e-mail to news that it is unfortunate if drivers have suffered injuries as a result of wear and tear on the job. – As far as I am aware, the ministry has not been made aware of challenges related to speed bumps and driver injuries from the industry in the past, writes State Secretary Tom Kalsås in an email. The bus drivers drive over many speed bumps every day. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news Several ways to solve the problem But the problem is easy to solve, according to the bus drivers. – Speed airbags are a good alternative, more speed cameras and a more visible police force, says Kulblik. Speed bumps are split speed bumps which mean that the wheels of the bus do not hit them – while motorists will drive over them, at least with one wheel. Airbags are divided and do not cover the entire lane. With such speed bumps, the tires of the bus do not go over them. Photo: Camilla Hatleskog / news – Especially buses and larger vehicles are less affected by speed bumps than by normal speed bumps. It is also better for the comfort of the passengers, says Guro Ranes. She is department director for traffic safety in the Norwegian Road Administration. The airbags primarily work on light, small vehicles, which cannot avoid running over the airbags with one of the wheels. They want to slow down, explains Ranes. – But, for example, motorbikes can drive around without slowing down and that is the whole point of speed bumps, says Ranes. According to the Swedish Road Administration, the speed bumps also require somewhat more maintenance. – It is a bit more demanding to plow and keep up with the speed bumps, she says. Asking for other measures Instead of having so many speed bumps, the drivers hope that other measures can be put in place to reduce the speed of traffic. – Something should have been done about this a long time ago. I think it’s absolutely horrible. It doesn’t seem as if we are being heard, says driver Andersen. Freddy Kulblik has been driving a bus since 2005. He knows it well today. Photo: Julie Helene Günther / news Kulblik is certain that if other measures are put in place, sickness absence will decrease. He also believes that fewer people will quit their jobs, and that this can help solve some of the driver shortage. – A driver who breaks a back also leads to large costs for society, and for the employer. – The most ideal thing for society would be to keep as many drivers as possible. Not that their backs are so bad, that they disappear from the labor market, Kulblik believes.
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Professional drivers get back problems – ask for alternative speed bumps – news Østfold – Local news, TV and radio
