Transport for NSW (TfNSW) used its annual Bus Safety Week last week (21-27 February) to remind all road users to be ‘bus aware’.
Deputy Secretary of Safety, Environment and Regulation at TfNSW, Tara McCarthy said it was important for everyone to remember that buses were heavy vehicles that could not stop as quickly as other vehicles on the road.
“When a bus and car travelling at 80 km/h apply brakes simultaneously, it takes a bus about 30 metres further than a car to come to a complete stop,” Ms McCarthy said.
“Crashes involving buses often result in more severe outcomes for other road users due to the size and mass of buses,” she said.
She said that in the five years to 2020, 37 people died and 352 were seriously injured in crashes involving buses while in 2021, three people were killed in crashes involving a bus.
“These aren’t just numbers,” she said.
“They are people.
“When a person leaves their house, they and their loved ones expect them to come back safely.”
She said road safety was everyone’s responsibility and it was important all road users played their part.
Ms McCarthy reminded drivers, motorbike riders and cyclists to give way to merging buses, and to “be aware that buses have larger blind spots than some other vehicles – don’t assume the driver can see you”.
“Also, if you’re driving near school buses, remember to slow down to 40 km/h when bus lights flash and keep an eye out for children,” she said.
“They are still developing their road sense.”
Ms McCarthy advised people catching a bus to plan ahead to avoid rushing for the bus and, after alighting, to wait until the bus had moved on before finding a safe place to cross the road.
