Ontario school buses equipped with new lighting system to stop drivers this fall

School buses may be parked for the summer, but come fall, they will be equipped with a new lighting system to catch drivers' attention.

Ontario is the last province to get on board with the new amber-red warning lights for student safety.

"Drivers will now see an amber light which will give them a clear warning that a bus is about to stop," said school bus driver Owen Wass.

A red light will follow the amber light notifying drivers to stop and wait for the bus to let a student on or off.

It's estimated that 30,000 drivers illegally pass a school bus every day.

Kim Malkamaki with the Simcoe County Transportation Consortium said there have been "long-standing safety priorities" with school bus operators and consortia across Canada.

"This will basically align school buses in Ontario with the lighting requirements that are in use throughout the rest of Canada," Malkamaki noted.

Between September 2013 and the spring of 2018, 385 bus-related injuries were reported in Ontario. No deaths were reported during those five years.

However, in 2000, five-year-old Adam Ranger was struck and killed while getting off the bus in Mattawa, Ont. when a truck with a trailer tried to pass his stopped school bus. The truck swerved and missed the child, but the trailer did not.

Following his death, the Let's Remember Adam campaign was launched and has been instrumental in pushing for change.

Bill 246 came into effect on July 1, requiring school buses to be equipped with the amber-red dual lamp warning system by September.

Drivers who illegally pass a school bus face a hefty fine and six demerit points.