School buses in the region are about to get even safer.
A recent announcement by Minister of Transport and Internal Trade, Anita Anand, indicated that all school buses manufactured after Nov. 1, 2027 must be equipped with perimeter visibility systems.
The system provides a 360 degree view of the surrounding area while buses are stopped or moving slowly to aid drivers in detecting children and operating safely.
"The biggest safety risk for children riding a school bus isn’t inside the vehicle, it’s actually around the bus," Anand said in the announcement on the Government of Canada website.
"With this new regulation, the Government of Canada is taking meaningful action to improve school bus technologies and to keep our children safe.”
Benoit Bourgault, the general manager of Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region, is in support of the new measures and said about a dozen buses in the region already have the technology.
"Every safety feature is important," Bourgault said.
"There are tragic accidents that happen from time to time. Children drop a ball, it rolls under the bus or they get in front of the vehicle where the driver can't see them and it's extremely dangerous."
School bus fatalities account for less than 0.1 per cent of all motor vehicle deaths in Canada each year, according to the government's website.
Cameras in the new system are mounted on the rear, sides and front of the buses for enhanced visibility. Much like backup cameras in many vehicles, a display on the driver's rearview mirror appears showing each angle.
Bourgault said no existing buses will be retrofitted to include them.
As for infraction cameras, which are designed to catch motorists not obeying school bus signals like stop signs, the potential installation of those is further down the road.
"The region is still actively working on automated speed enforcement cameras in the school zones," Bourgault said.
"The priority has been set for the automated speed enforcement before going to stop arm cameras. There's not a lot of traction on stop arm cameras at this point."