– Our investigations have shown that the collision safety rate for buses is lower than for other vehicle groups, says Ingvild Ytrehus at the National Accident Investigation Board. – We believe that bus drivers as employees should be better protected, she says. In a large room at Kjeller, there are parts of the two buses that collided head-on in Fredrikstad during Christmas. A driver in his 50s died in the accident. This is the first time that the Accident Investigation Board has brought in two buses that have collided to investigate them more closely. – It is to find out what happened, why it happened and what we can do to prevent it from happening again, says Ytrehus. The front parts of the two buses have been transported to the Accident Investigation Board’s premises. Photo: Lars Håkon Pedersen / news The cause of the fatal accident in Fredrikstad has not yet been determined. The other driver suffered serious injuries. The man is routinely charged with negligent homicide, but he has not yet been able to be questioned by the police. – He is having a very difficult time now. He has been and still is seriously injured, says the man’s lawyer Johannes Bakkevig. Crashes at 40 km/h 240 buses were involved in collisions on Norwegian roads between 2011 and 2020, figures from the Norwegian Road Administration show. Eight bus drivers died in these accidents. – The accidents that have happened lately have happened at low speed. So it doesn’t take much danger before things can go wrong, says Per Petterson. He is the chief trustee of Unibuss Oslo. Petterson believes it is high time that the safety of bus drivers is prioritized. The fatal accident in Fredrikstad, which is now being thoroughly investigated, happened at 40 km/h. Metal beam In cars and trucks, there is a requirement for collision protection in the front of the vehicle. There have been no such requirements for buses. But now the city buses must also be equipped with extra collision protection. A U-shaped beam must be mounted in the middle at the very front of the buses. – It is a reinforcement, a metal beam that contributes to increased collision safety, says Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård (Ap). – But it is only the first step on the road. Transport Minister Jon-Ivar Nygård got to see the destroyed buses from his home town of Fredrikstad. Photo: Lars Håkon Pedersen / news The regulation will come into force on 1 January next year at the latest, but the transport minister says he is working to ensure that it can come somewhat sooner. – We are exploring the possibility of putting the regulation into force even earlier and are in dialogue with those who build and deliver buses, says Nygård. Bus company Ruter has already ordered 183 new buses with the new collision beam. They will be delivered in April. I don’t think it’s good enough – We’ve driven for far too many years without this, says Petterson in Unibuss. He believes the new regulation is a step in the right direction, but calls for a crash beam that goes all the way around the driver’s seat. – I miss side beams that are reinforced all the way. Then we will sit more protected if we get a bang from the side. Chief trustee Per Petterson in Unibuss Oslo does not think the new regulation is good enough. Photo: LARS HÅKON PEDERSEN / news The Professional Transport Association and the Trade Union in Viken have also been shouting warnings about the safety of drivers for years. – We risk that more bus drivers will die at work, said union leader of the Professional Transport Association Jim Klungnes to news in December. Ruter works together with the Norwegian Public Transport Association to ensure that the bus suppliers offer a fully protected driver’s seat, the bus company wrote in an email to news. They also believe that the front of city buses should be protected even more.
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The National Accident Investigation Board investigates the bus accident in Fredrikstad – news Oslo and Viken – Local news, TV and radio
