Ottawa orders review of vans
FEDERAL — Ottawa is hoping to bolster awareness of passenger safety among school board authorities with the launch of federal review of standards applicable to 15-passenger vans.
The vans are often used during extracurricular school activities to transport students, staff and volunteers. “By launching this review, we can determine the best safety options for students during their trips and help to prevent tragedies on our roads,” transport minister John Baird noted in a statement last June.
In January of 2008, a collision involving a 15-passenger van in Bathurst, New Brunswick claimed the lives of seven high school basketball players and the coach’s wife.
The federal safety review will include the following: consultation with provincial and territorial governments; an assessment of the safety and stability of extracurricular activity vehicles; and brake testing to determine the rollover threshold of the vehicles, notes the statement from Transport Canada.
Upon completion of the review, Transport Canada is expected to undertake an awareness campaign to further enhance knowledge of the safe use of 15-passenger vans.
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