Say your school bus drivers encounter an unexpected obstacle on the road, or accidentally go off road due to conditions out of their control. Maybe they need to pull out advanced braking maneuvers or skid safely out of danger. Are they confident in their ability to keep passengers safe and take control of the bus? That’s what a special school bus driver defensive driving course in Michigan aims to ensure.

Originally developed by Mac Dashney and launched in 1978, the course is hosted by the Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency (KRESA). And it’s still equipping drivers around the state with these skills over four decades later.

It’s a simple setup: Participants’ only qualification is to have at least one year’s experience driving a school bus. It’s a one-day, six-hour course hosted several times throughout the summer at EATON Proving Grounds. The cost is $85 per driver, often covered by the district.

While registration is open to anyone in the country, most participants live within a few hours of Marshall, Mich., where the class takes place.

Course Curriculum

Throughout the training, participants receive firsthand defensive driving and precision driving instruction and practice from qualified instructors.

Hands-on, behind-the-wheel exercises include:

• Serpentine Course, Forward and Reverse: Timed steering to develop vehicle control.

• Evasive Maneuver: Steering and stopping around obstacles, aimed at reducing panic braking.

• Straight-Line Braking: Stopping the bus quickly and smoothly.

• Off-Road Recovery: Getting back on the road quickly when conditions don’t allow slowing down.

• Skid Control: Techniques for handling slippery roads using a skid pad on a curved path.

Lane Bertrand, trainer for the Transportation Department at Van Buren Intermediate School District in Lawrence, Mich., serves as one of the instructors for KRESA's program. “I work directly with the drivers, putting them through their paces as they run through the various exercises on the course,” he said. “I explain how to handle that particular situation, follow up with a demonstration and allow for questions. One by one, the drivers complete the exercise a few times each.  By the end of the day, they each had the opportunity to experience and resolve a variety of simulated emergencies (with minimal nausea) along with improved bus handling skills.”

Each class, hosted about five times per summer, holds about 30 participants. Small groups form for the individual exercises.

Upon successful completion, drivers receive a one-time 6-hour Certificate of Continuing Education card, as well as a patch they can wear.

An abbreviated version of the Continuing Education curriculum is also available in a classroom setting. 

Program Importance

The certification is a unique private/public sector training partnership, and the only existing defensive driving course aimed at school bus drivers as far as we know. (There was a defensive driving component to driver training at Brevard District Schools in Florida back in 2010. The school confirmed that the class is no longer offered, but aspects are incorporated into their monthly training.)

Before drivers complete the course, they often feel hesitant about the maneuvers they’ll need to do. But by the end of the day, they’ve had a blast, according to KRESA’s Transportation Training Specialist Rick Steward.

“One side benefit is the bonding and camaraderie that takes place from meeting bus drivers from other districts throughout the state,” Bertrand added. “All have the opportunity to exchange stories of their bus driving experiences, compare their district policies and procedures, and cheer one another on as each takes his/her turn behind the wheel.  It's especially fun when drivers of neighboring rival districts share the same bus.  Let the competition begin!”

Penny Evert, transportation director for Whitehall District Schools, has sent 20 drivers through the class so far, even completing it herself. “It was a fabulous experience for all of us,” she said. “Many of my drivers expressed surprise that the training has made them feel much more confident about being able to handle the bus in extreme situations. I was shocked that the bus could be handled so aggressively by the driver in the cone obstacle while driving forward and backwards and not even threaten to tip over!”

“Terry Lechenet [one of the training coordinators and transportation supervisor for VanBuren ISD] demonstrated the course for us before we each drove it and literally tossed us out of our seats by swerving dramatically,” she continued. “The bus handled admirably. After my second time through that obstacle, I felt much more confident in my ability to safely take whatever measures necessary to avoid a collision on the road with kids on board. Of course, the skid pad was the highlight for everyone. Each of us worry about fish tailing in a bus, so it was comforting to have done it several times in that controlled environment to experience it and practice what's needed to recover from it.”

This kind of training can literally save lives and prevent accidents, Steward reminds. “Being in the Midwest, we run into slippery roads all the time. We run into animals jumping in front of you and people driving erratically. A lot of the exercises do come in handy.”

Goals & Recommendations

As the certification continues to catch on, Steward hopes to increase the number of classes offered each summer. They also plan to acquire their own property where they can offer training throughout the year, cover winter driving and nighttime conditions, and expand the course to drivers in other industries.

“This helps to make Michigan one of the safest school bus drivers in the country,” he said.

But Steward hopes the course doesn’t stay exclusive to the mitten.

“We are trying to bring awareness and expand our program around the nation,” he said. “It’s just a great program that I think the whole country needs to be aware of, if not copied. Drivers need all the help they can get.”

Evert agrees. “I would highly recommend each state invest in a course similar to Eaton Proving Grounds to allow school bus drivers and other professional operators of large vehicles to hone their skills every few years,” she said.

For others considering pursuing their own school bus defensive driving training, Steward recommends finding qualified instructors and a large property. The skid pad alone takes up quite a bit of space and needs a controlled environment. He also reassures that while KRESA uses older buses for the training, they don’t receive too rigorous a workout. They are made to perform this way, after all.

Dates for the summer 2025 classes will be announced next spring.