– We run the risk of more bus drivers dying at work, says union leader of the Vocational Transport Association Jim Klungnes. He believes that the collision safety of bus drivers is non-existent. Therefore, they also do not feel safe at work. – We usually say that they sit in glass and frame. There is nothing to protect them, says Klungnes. Over 6,000 working bus drivers are organized in Yrkestrafikkforbundet. Union leader Jim Klungnes is concerned about the drivers’ safety. Photo: Kåre Sponberg Ten drivers have lost their lives in collisions On Wednesday, two buses collided head-on at the Fredrikstad bridge in Fredrikstad. A bus driver in his 50s died on the spot. The other driver was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The cause of the accident is not yet known. This is the third accident in six years where a bus driver has lost his life after colliding with another bus. In 2021, a bus driver died in Stange in Innlandet after a collision between two scheduled buses. In 2017, two buses collided head-on at Nafstad in Ullensaker. One of the drivers died, even though both buses were traveling at less than 35 kilometers per hour. Since 2011, at least ten bus drivers have lost their lives in collisions on Norwegian roads. From 2011 to 2020, 240 buses were involved in head-on collisions. There are no safety requirements – Despite the low speed, one bus driver was killed immediately, and the other was critically injured, wrote the National Accident Investigation Board following the accident in 2017. Also after the fatal accident in 2021, the Accident Investigation Board concluded that the current requirements for the drivers’ safety are not good enough. In passenger cars and trucks, there is a requirement for collision protection in the front of the vehicle. For buses, there are no such requirements, according to the Accident Investigation Board. The illustration shows requirements for collision safety for different vehicle groups. Illustration: Norwegian Accident Investigation Board Some buses are still equipped with a steel beam in the middle of the front. However, this is not a requirement today. New regulations on the stairs The Ministry of Transport wants to improve safety for bus drivers. That is why the Norwegian Public Roads Administration proposed in January to introduce a requirement to strengthen the protection at the front of the buses. If the proposal is introduced, all new buses will be required to have a safety beam in the middle of the front of the bus. – The background is that there has been a not inconsiderable number of accidents where buses have been involved and where bus drivers have been seriously injured or killed in connection with head-on collisions, the Norwegian Road Administration writes about the proposal. A bus driver died after two buses collided head-on in Stange in Innlandet in 2019. The other driver suffered life-threatening injuries. Two passengers were slightly injured. Photo: The National Accident Investigation Board Wants stricter requirements The Occupational Traffic Association believes the proposed change is not good enough. They demand that there be safety requirements around the entire driver’s seat in the bus. – We are very happy that the authorities have taken the initiative to set specific Norwegian requirements and increase collision safety. But we think it is far too defensive to simply make that demand. Much better security is needed, says Klungnes. According to him, the proposed change will come into force in 2024 at the earliest.
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