
AMF-Bruns Announces 3rd Annual Special-Needs School Bus Driver Award
The securement supplier will honor a special-needs school bus driver for their standout service for the third year in a row. The winner will receive a $1,000.
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We as an industry see it very simply. A bus is stopped and all moving vehicles around it should also stop until all children are safely away from the bus and on their way. But it’s just not that simple. Drivers are more distracted than ever before. Drivers are in a hurry. Drivers think they don’t have to stop. Drivers claim they didn’t see the bus until it was too late to stop. Those drivers are putting children’s lives in jeopardy every single day, either knowingly or — equally as concerning — unknowingly.
The National Association of State Directors for Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) conducts an annual survey of illegal passing incidents of stopped school buses each year. Their 2019 survey found that over 95,000 drivers ran school bus stop arms in one day during the 2018-19 school year. More than 27% of U.S. school bus drivers in 39 states participated in the survey, and 130,963 of them reported the passing incidents.
These sample results point to more than 17 million violations among America’s motoring public throughout a 180-day school year, according to NASDPTS. The organization also noted that because not all school bus drivers participated in the survey, the number of incidents is probably greater. As an industry and as a society, this is unacceptable.
Every state has some type of law requiring motorists to stop when school buses are stopped. There are variances, however, in when and where drivers must stop. Many states also have penalties for violating these laws, although that is a deterrent, and deterrents look to address the situation after the fact. We need to focus on preventing the passing before it even happens.
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Further compounding driver distraction are a host of different circumstances that prove puzzling for them, such as divided highways and intersections, not to mention the added impairment of weather issues or darkness. What seems simple — stop when a school bus is stopped — is proving challenging for motorists, and our nation’s children could pay the price.
There are several steps that you as a school transportation professional can take to increase awareness in those around you, such as:
• Review the resources available at schoolbusfacts.com and promote their placement in high-visibility areas in the schools you serve.
• Be sure your school bus drivers and students are trained to follow uniform procedures for safety at the bus stop and while getting on and off the bus.
• Speak to PTA/PTO groups and community associations to help educate the community.
• Partner with local law enforcement and encourage a focused day or campaign (think public service announcement) to increase awareness.
• Promote safe practices and your state’s laws on social media.
The securement supplier will honor a special-needs school bus driver for their standout service for the third year in a row. The winner will receive a $1,000.
Eirene Farias, a bus driver for the Brewster (N.Y.) Central School District, uses her crafting skills to personalize her safety vest and those of her coworkers. The decorated vests also engage students.
Olivia Boggs of Texas is honored for helping keep students calm and safe after their school bus driver experienced a medical emergency that caused the bus to crash.
The agency anticipates making between 40 and 60 grant agreements for projects aimed at reducing emissions from aging diesel engines, including those in school buses.
The association invites U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski (R-Ind.) on its podcast, “The Bus Stop,” to discuss her journey to Capitol Hill and outline the Stop for School Buses Act of 2019.
The safety solutions supplier demonstrates its Predictive Stop Arm in Laurel, Miss., on the 10-year anniversary of a crash that killed a 5-year-old boy.
Technicians and drivers should try not to assume to know the cause of a problem before running tests. Instead, look at the affected system in its entirety first.
Murfreesboro (Tenn.) City Schools teamed up with Murfreesboro Police Department to launch a campaign creating awareness of the state’s school bus stop-arm laws and encouraging motorists to practice safe driving behaviors.
The proposed package of legislation aims to restrict who can board and stiffen penalties on those who do so unlawfully, crack down on motorists who illegally pass buses, and allow stop-arm cameras.
The event, which was held Dec. 6 to 8, in Cypress, Texas, featured 24 competitors from 16 different states.
Triad Community Unit School District #2 will receive the buses, which were sold by Creative Bus Sales and will be built by Starcraft Bus. The buses are funded by the state’s second round of VW settlement funds.
The company’s Dashcam provides downloadable videos, real-time alerts, and live GPS location services before, during, and after a vehicle incident.
A video posted on social media shows the Texas driver driving the bus forward while the student stands in front of the bus asking to be let on board.
The child is able to safely evacuate the bus before it is engulfed in flames. The fire was apparently caused by a faulty wire near the bus’s engine, a district official said.
The fourth-largest district school bus fleet in the U.S., according to School Bus Fleet's research, commits to transitioning to 100% clean, renewable energy by 2040.
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Stephen
| about 3 months agoPart of the problem is that the stop arms are above the line of sight of most drivers, they are too small and don't cover an area large enough like a stop gate does. Of course, drivers are usually in a hurry, may not being paying attention or may be too tired to recognize the need to stop. So, there are multiple issues.