NTSB Vice Chairman Addresses School Bus Safety


WRITTEN BY MICHELLE FISHER


NTSB Vice Chairman CHRIS HART


Board member speaks to STN readers, NAPT attendees about recommendations designed to make school buses even safer


NAPT Summit attendees heard from Christopher Hart, vice chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board, when he delivered the keynote address on Monday. Before the conference, Hart spoke with School Transportation News about the specific challenges facing the student transportation industry.


STN: What top safety challenges are currently fac-


ing student transportation? Hart: Speaking for


myself, but not for the whole board, there are a number of challenges. One of the major challenges for student transportation is its image. Tose of us in the industry know that school transportation is one of the safest modes of transpor- tation, but when accidents occur, they always attract heightened media attention because they involve chil- dren, and sometimes that media attention undermines the public’s confidence. Te school bus industry is generally very sensitive and responsive in implementing safety improvements — and they do it with very limited budgets. But they need to make sure the public is educated about their stellar safety record so as to main- tain that public confidence.


STN: What specific issues are you pinpointing


during the NAPT Summit? Hart: I would like discuss two aspects of the situation — some of the broad areas where the board has made recommendations over the years and the pos-


16 The Show RepoRTeR • OCT 20 –25, 2012


itive impact those recom- mendations have had on school bus safety, as well as some other areas in which our recommendations hav- en’t yet been implemented.


STN: What lessons can this industry learn from the investigation into the Gray Summit, Mo., crash in


August 2010? Hart: First, I would


recommend everyone read the report, because it is pur- posely written in a style that is accessible to lay readers. It is available on our website by searching the accident investigations section at www.NTSB.gov. In this case, a thorough


investigation not only discovered the use of a cellphone that initiated the sequence of tragic events, but it also uncovered brake maintenance and inspec- tion issues, and emergency egress issues that were not directly causal in this acci- dent but pose a significant safety risk nonetheless.


STN: What is the


board’s stance on vehicle collision prevention tech-


nology for school buses? Hart: Te Safety Board


has recommended colli- sion-avoidance technology for commercial vehicles, including school buses, since 1995. Te board be- lieves technologies such as collision warning systems, adaptive cruise control and active braking help to compensate for some of the basic human frailties that contribute to accidents. Te board has also recommend- ed lane departure warning systems to help drivers when they deviate out of their lane unintentionally, and electronic stability control to help prevent commercial vehicles from losing control on slippery roads or during emergency or evasive maneuvers. 


Visit www.stnonline.com to read more of Hart’s interview.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24