PUBLISHER ‘S CORNER When driving to the office each day, I tend to go on auto pilot. It’s usually an easy drive
without incident, but recently I was following the driver in front of me a bit too closely. In an instant the driver slammed on the brakes. Luckily, I was able to react in time. It was close and not too smart of me either to put myself in a compromising position.
Reduce Your Risk
By Tony Corpin
tony@stnonline.com
Te routes that school bus drivers take each and every day are very similar to commuters like me. Tis is especially true in suburban areas with shorter routes. But the one time a driver doesn’t check the mirrors, follows too close or doesn’t look both ways, it could cause an accident. Laziness and complacency of any driver can have awful results. Taking the time to be more alert and cautious will result in fewer accidents. Approximately 6.8 million traffic accidents occur each year in the United States, accord-
ing to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA). Te Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says traffic accidents and motor vehicle-related accidents are the leading cause of death for people between the ages of 1 and 34. More than five mil- lion people suffer traffic accident-related injuries every year, the impact of which costs the government and taxpayers billions of dollars. Taking the extra steps to be safer and applying best practices while on the road is essen-
tial. According to the School Bus Safety Company, accidents occur when people fail to pay attention, exceed their performance capabilities and engage in unsafe behavior patterns. How do you define the word safety? It’s a pretty common term, but what does it really
❝
mean? A simple definition is freedom from risk. So freedom from risk equals safety. But if people take risks, they can cause accidents. If people act in an unsafe way, they can affect others. According to H.W. Heinrich’s classic accident triangle (pyramid), for every 300 un- safe actions, there are 29 incidents and one fatality.
Taking the extra steps to be safer and applying best practices while on the road is essential.❞
Kia Motors conducted a survey of 2,000 drivers to determine the cause of distractions
that increase motorists’ risk of being involved in an accident. Te results show that an aver- age of 1.84 distractions per day were experienced, with the most popular cause being cited as the bad behavior from other drivers followed by the behavior of other passengers in the vehicle. Both are cited by NHTSA as major causes of car accidents. However, it wasn’t just the time of day that was a hazard; the day of the week also fac-
tored into the confidence of drivers and when they would most likely engage in bad habits. Kia’s study found that drivers were most uncomfortable driving on a Monday because it marks the start of the work week. Because they are uncomfortable, they are reportedly more alert, making Monday statistically the safest day on the road. According to the report, Tursday was the most dangerous day of the week, as drivers are more relaxed as they eye the approaching weekend. Distracted driving is a life-threatening practice that involves anything that distracts
a driver visually, manually or cognitively. Distracting activities include eating, groom- ing, watching a video, using a cell phone, talking to other passengers and changing a radio station. Be sure to keep these things in mind when driving and reduce your risk. ■
66 School Transportation News Magazine June 2012
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