Calgary Traffic Safety: Fatal School Bus Crash Claims One Life

CALGARY, AB — A man died from injuries sustained in a crash involving a school bus on February 17, marking another traffic fatality in a city grappling with road safety challenges.

The incident adds to mounting concerns in Calgary, where 2025 recorded 38 traffic deaths—the deadliest year in a decade. Early 2026 is tracking a similar pace, leaving officials and residents asking one question: Why?

The "Why" Behind the Numbers

Data from the Calgary Police Service (CPS) and the City’s 2025 Safer Mobility Plan points to a "perfect storm" of factors fueling the crisis. Police report that unsafe or excessive speed is a factor in approximately 30% of all fatal collisions, while distracted driving—exacerbated by evolving in-vehicle technology—now contributes to nearly one-fifth of fatal outcomes.

Furthermore, Calgary’s rapid growth is putting unprecedented pressure on the road network. With the city nearing 1.6 million residents, officials point to the arrival of roughly 63,000 new drivers in the region and a return to pre-pandemic traffic volumes as key drivers of the surge.

The most alarming shift, however, is the vulnerability of those outside of vehicles. Pedestrian fatalities reached an 11-year high in 2025, representing a staggering 225% year-over-year increase from 2023. Staff Sgt. Andy Woodward of the CPS Traffic Unit has characterized the trend as "preventable," citing a critical need for "buy-in" from both distracted drivers and pedestrians.

Safety Plans Under Pressure

The latest crash occurred as the City of Calgary and Calgary Police Service operate under the Joint Safer Mobility Plan 2024-2028, which targets a 25% reduction in major injuries and fatalities by 2028. The 2026 Traffic Safety Plan commits to increased officer visibility and expanded checkstop presence to address the "big three" contributors: speed, distracted driving, and impairment.

Calgary City Council approved $7.5 million for Vision Zero street safety improvements in its 2026 budget, part of a broader $201 million infrastructure allocation. These funds are slated for physical "engineering" fixes, such as brighter crosswalk signals and extended curbs designed to shorten crossing distances for vulnerable Calgarians.

School Bus Safety in Focus

The Tuesday morning crash also puts a spotlight on school transportation. The Alberta Education's School Transportation Amendment Regulation, effective September 1, 2025, expanded yellow bus service and adjusted walk zones, putting more buses and students on the road.

While manufacturing standards updated by Transport Canada in late 2024 will eventually mandate perimeter visibility cameras and infraction decals, those requirements do not take effect for newly built buses until November 1, 2027.

The Enforcement Gap

As fatalities climb, the CPS is also battling an "enforcement gap." While they received approval in late 2025 to reintroduce automated enforcement at two high-risk intersections, the service is still pushing the province to reactivate 51 dormant safety cameras. These devices were shelved due to Alberta's April 2025 restrictions on automated enforcement—a policy shift that also cost the service $28 million in budget revenue.

The details of today's crash remain under investigation. As the city’s traffic safety apparatus faces renewed scrutiny, the data suggests that without a significant shift in driver behavior and infrastructure, Calgary’s deadliest trend may not yet have peaked.