Glass and frame. It is the only thing that separates bus drivers from oncoming vehicles if an accident occurs. For years, the bus industry has been warning about the lack of safety, which has cost the lives of at least ten bus drivers since 2011. Last Christmas, a bus driver died in a collision in Fredrikstad. A proposal for better collision safety is on the way. According to Transport Minister Jon Ivar Nygård (Ap), the insurance requirement will come into force no later than 1 January next year. A number of industry organizations news has been in contact with believe that the proposed insurance requirement is not up to the mark. Now the transport minister also admits that the safety of the bus drivers will not be a good enough guarantee with the proposed change. – Like many of the industry players, I agree that the standard that is now being introduced does not provide sufficient safety for the drivers, Nygård wrote in an e-mail to news. In February, Transport Minister Jon Ivar Nygård visited the National Accident Investigation Board at Kjeller. Here he is pictured with Ingvild Ytrehus from the Accident Investigation Board. In the background is one of the buses that were involved in the fatal accident in Fredrikstad. Photo: LARS HÅKON PEDERSEN / news This is to be introduced The insurance requirement, which is now being processed by the ministry, was sent for consultation by the Norwegian Public Roads Administration last year. The proposal means that all new buses must be equipped with a steel beam in the middle of the front of the buses. This is what the construction that complies with the new requirement looks like. The picture was taken in 2011 and shows a Mercedes-Benz bus. Photo: Mercedes-Benz / Norwegian Accident Investigation Board More than half of the responses to the consultation pointed out that even better safety is needed. The Swedish Road Administration estimates that the insurance upgrade will cost around NOK 30,000 per bus. Today’s requirements for collision safety for various vehicles are marked in green. Marked in yellow are voluntary measures that have been installed in some buses. Illustration: Norwegian Accident Investigation Board Proposed regulatory change from the Norwegian Road Administration Today there are no requirements for collision safety in the front of city buses. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration believes that all new buses in Norway should have collision protection that corresponds to the European R29 standard. In practice, the R29 standard means that the buses must be equipped with a steel beam in the middle of the front. The standard says nothing about safety in the area where the bus driver sits. If the proposal from the Swedish Road Administration is adopted, all new buses in Norway will have to meet the R29 requirement. It is estimated that the R29 requirement will lead to an additional cost of around NOK 30,000 per bus. The Swedish Road Administration has proposed that the stricter insurance requirement should enter into force in June next year at the earliest. The regulatory change will not have retroactive effect. This means that there will be no requirements for collision safety in the front of buses that are put into service before the regulations come into force. Will meet the requirement anyway A survey carried out by the Public Transport Association shows that all public public transport companies already require that new buses be delivered with collision protection at the front. – We knew that a lot of people had it, but we didn’t know that there were so many, says daily manager Olov Grøtting. They represent the large public collective companies in Norway. Day-to-day leader of the Norwegian Public Transport Association, Olov Grøtting. Photo: Kollektivtrafikkforeningen Several collisions This Christmas, a bus driver in his 50s died after a collision between two buses in Fredrikstad. The other driver was seriously injured and had to have a leg amputated. This is the third collision in six years where a bus driver has lost his life. A bus driver died in the collision between two buses in Fredrikstad on 28 December last year. Photo: Benjamin Vorland Andersrød / news Between 2011 and 2020, 240 buses were involved in head-on accidents, figures from the Norwegian Road Administration show. Eight bus drivers died in these accidents. The National Accident Investigation Board investigates serious traffic accidents. They have repeatedly advocated that bus drivers should be better protected. – Our investigations have shown that the collision safety rate for buses is lower than for other vehicle groups, said Ingvild Ytrehus in the Accident Investigation Board to news in February. Will tighten international rules Today there are no national or international requirements for collision safety in the front of buses. Although the industry has taken safety into its own hands, Grøtting in the Norwegian Transport Association believes it is good that the government wants to legislate the requirement. – Norway is at the forefront, and then I think it is very right and important that it be regulated, says Grøtting. Transport Minister Nygård tells news that he will continue to work to increase the safety of bus drivers. – We will continue to work on both assessing further stricter requirements for national licensed transport, and trying to influence the international work with regulations.
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The Minister of Transport acknowledges that the insurance requirements to be introduced are not good enough – news Oslo og Viken – Local news, TV and radio
