New Brunswick finally fitting buses with winter tires
Mark Atkinson, MSN Autos
In January 2008, a small school bus taking a high-school basket ball team from Bathurst, NB home after a tournament in Moncton, NB was involved in a crash with a transport truck that killed seven students and their teacher. The Ford Econoline Club Wagon they were driving in was not fitted with winter tires, per provincial regulations.
After two years of pressure from the survivors and families of those that died, there has finally been a change in the government’s policy. Originally, the plan was to equip only the two wheels on the rear axle of the multi-function activity buses (MFAB) with winter tires. However, according to CBC News, “Mothers of three boys who died...had arranged to have the tire configurations currently used on activity buses in the province's schools privately tested in Michigan” at Continental Tire’s facility.
According to a company release, Continental investigated braking on snow with a 21 passenger MFAB outfitted with the Original Equipment (all-season tires on both axles), braking on snow with with winter tires in the rear and all-season tires in the front, and braking on snow with winter tires on all four wheels.
The results were dramatic: the combination of all-season and winters took 30 per cent longer to stop, and the all-seasons alone saw 50 per cent increases in stopping distance, which works out to be 21 metres from 60 km/h. Continental also discovered that the mixed set failed simple avoidance manoeuvres that the all-winter tester passed with relative ease.
The New Brunswick government has acknowledged its error, and will now be outfitting its entire fleet of 14 MFABs with four winter tires.
Posted by: John | 2010-03-12 7:43:27 AM
It took this long for the goverment to make this change? what is wrong with them? it has been common knowledge for years that winter tires are better then all seasons and U are not soppose to mix different types on the same vehicle. who voted for these morons?