District buses feature strobe lights for safety

News Release
RRDSB

Members of the community may have recently noticed something new – school buses equipped with strobe lights. School bus drivers will be using the protective lights to improve visibility of the bus when transporting students. This initiative was made possible through Safe Communities Rainy River District (formerly the Rainy River Valley Safety Coalition), in cooperation with the Rainy River District School Board, the Northwest Catholic District School Board, and local bus operators.
Motorists will know that there is a bus ahead whether the bus is moving or stopped, which is especially critical in conditions that might impede visibility. The strobe light mounts on the roof of a bus, and sends a blast of light into the sky every few seconds.
This initiative first arose when the safety coalition was looking at Safe Kids Canada and the Safer Routes to School programs. The cost of the strobe lights will be covered from Safe Communities Rainy River District and additional funds that the safety coalition received from CN over the last two years. The device acts as a long distance warning system, for both motorists and trains, when a school bus stops at railway crossings.
Local bus operators are responsible for the installation and maintenance of this new safety feature. First Nations communities were provided with the lights for their school buses, and the entire fleet of buses contracted by the district’s school boards now has operational strobe lights.
“We’re excited about the use of the recently acquired rooftop strobe lights,” said the Rainy River District School Board Transportation Officer, Donna Lee. “This little light is a major milestone in school bus safety.”