Incorporating amber lights onto Canadian school buses can increase rider safety and decrease the number of motorists who fail to stop for students who are loading or unloading, reported Global News.
The goal is for school buses to feature a new eight amber-red light warning system by the time they hit the road again for the new school year.
Amber lights are used to help get the attention of other drivers in the vicinity of a bus.
This way when the lights go off, drivers know the bus is going to stop in the very near future, explained Joel Slogett CAO of Peterborough-based Student Transportation Service of Central Ontario (STSCO), via the article.
Police will be treating this new amber, red lighting system like they treated the traditional lighting system. Drivers that run red lights and extended stop arms will be charged with a $490 fine and six demerit points of their license.
The updated lighting requirements went into effect on July 1, requiring all buses manufactured on or after January 2005 to switch to the new system. However, bus companies are getting a grace period until Sept. 1 from the Ministry of Transportation.
The buses are also required to display revised signage on the rear of the vehicles to read, “do not pass when red lights are flashing.”
Related: Ontario Bill Seeks School Bus Amber Light Uniformity Across North America
Related: FMCSA Makes Permanent Its Regulatory Exemption For Windshield-Mounted Safety System Cameras
Related: South Carolina Bill Targets Motorists Who Pass Stopped School Buses
