than 10,000 pounds GVWR and standards for voluntary systems in larger buses, nearly 69 percent of 169 respondents said their school buses are not currently equipped with these seat belts. Of the 31 percent who said they were using the lap-shoulder belts, nearly six out of 10 said less than 10 percent of their buses are equipped, and 26 percent said the belts were installed in 10 to 25 percent of their fleet. Little data was returned on the cost of adding the three-point belts, and the answers that did come in ranged from “no idea” to $10,000 per bus (presumably large buses) to between $300 and $700 per bench seat. Only a handful of respondents in-
dicated how often service checks are performed by either drivers or techni- cians. Most said daily or weekly checks are conducted while several others said
every other month or during preventative maintenance intervals. Regarding lap belts, 59 percent said
they were not currently using this type of restraint system compared to 41 percent who said they were. Eighty-nine percent of 163 subscribers
said their operations prohibit any type of cell phone usage by drivers when the bus is in operation, while 5.5 percent said driv- ers use cell phones to communicate with dispatch only. Nearly 4 percent responded that there was no cell phone ban in place, and nearly 2 percent were unsure. Te survey shows on-the-road distrac-
tions continue to be a problem for bus drivers, especially behaviors exhibited by other motorists. Nearly two-thirds said their drivers report that other motorists who eat and/or drink, read, change music,
Does your district/company utilize formal training for bus drivers on responding to student bullying?
converse with fellow passengers or even apply makeup/primping in the vanity mirror while behind the wheel are put- ting school bus passengers at risk. On the bus itself, nearly 74 percent said student misbehavior is “somewhat” distracting to the bus driver, while 21.5 percent said stu- dents who act are “extremely” distracting. Despite mounting
economic pres-
sures, nearly 97 percent said they were not utilizing school bus advertising to raise revenue, and 95 percent indicated they had yet to charge fees to parents. Meanwhile, three-quarters said activity/ field/athletic trips also remained free to students. Eighty-three percent of respon- dents also said they were not currently financing or leasing new school buses compared to 17 percent who said they were financing new purchases. ■
Does your district/company use three-point lap shoulder belts on some or all of your school buses?
39.1% 39.1% 39.1% 39.1%
60.9% 60.9% 60.9% 60.9%
YES NO
31.4%
31.4% 31.4% 31.4%
68.6%
Does your district/company lease or finance school buses rather than purchase outright?
16.8% 16.8% 16.8% 16.8%
39.1% 39.1% 39.1% 39.1%
83.2% 83.2% 83.2%
83.2%
www.stnonline.com 35
60.9% 60.9% 60.9% 60.9%
YES NO
68.6% 68.6% 68.6%
YES NO
Does your district utilize bus advertising? 3.2%
3.2%
3.2% 3.2%
96.8%
96.8% 96.8% 96.8%
YES NO
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