Update of the regulation for the road safety of buses

Chile updated its regulation for the road safety of buses with the aim to reduce road traffic deaths in accordance with the Stockholm Declaration 2020. 

During the Third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Stockholm in February 2020, the so-called Stockholm Declaration 2020 was issued, a document that reaffirms the goal proclaimed by the 

United Nations Organization in the “Decade for Action of the Road Safety 2011 – 2020”, to reduce the number of deaths in traffic accidents, worldwide, by 50% by 2030.  The declaration was signed by Chile, which realized that in recent years in the country there have been various traffic accidents, starring intercity buses that have claimed the lives of people, including minors. 

In order to enhance the road safety of buses, Chile updated its Decree 175 which sets safety conditions and construction criteria for buses destined to provide inter-urban public passenger transportation services.  The main changes will be that from now on, the use of the pelvic restraint (lap belt) for passengers will be mandatory.  Moreover, the buses with which intercity public or private passenger transport services are provided will have to be equipped with a three-point seatbelt in their seats starting from the 1st of July 2021. 

The list of technical requirements required for seat belts in buses were also partially amended by the new decree.  They can comply with the UNECE Regulation No. 14 (anchorages) and UNECE Regulation No. 16 (belts), Resolution 445/2013 CONTRAN Annex V and Resolution 754/2018 CONTRAN, CFR 49 571 – 209 (belt) and CFR 49 571 – 208 (accident protection for occupants) or with 32 KMVSS article 103. 

The full text of the new decree in Spanish can be found at: link.