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School Transportation News Magazine is published by STN Media Group
STN STEPPING UP
I found your November 2012 editorial (“Is FARS School Bus Data Worth Salvaging?”) dealing with the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting Survey both interesting and troubling. Tat seems like something our industry should be stepping up to the plate on and trying to perpetuate.
Max Christensen President, NASDPTS
Publisher Tony Corpin
Editor Ryan Gray
Managing Editor Sylvia Arroyo
Creative Consultant Vincent Rios
Senior Designer Kimber Horne
After reading your First Take in the November 2012 issue, I felt
compelled to express my agreement of your assessment on the impor- tance of accident tracking for the school transportation industry. As a former safety and occupational health specialist for the Army, I routinely pulled information from the Army’s accident database maintained at Fort Rucker, Ala. I used that information to identify trends, to apply preventive training, and to promote a proactive safety program versus a reactive safety program. I chair the El Paso County Transportation Consortium in Colora-
do Springs, which meets monthly. One of our first topics in the Sep- tember meeting was regarding the lack of accident reporting informa- tion. Each of us shared our desire to have accident data that we could share and use for accident prevention and avoidance. We thought it would be a good idea to identify trends to make school transportation safer for children in Colorado. Te data is a valuable tool that we could use to mitigate the risks and prevent future accidents. In Colorado, we report accidents to the Colorado Department
of Education (CDE) Transportation Unit and we were under the impression that they compiled the data for future use. Also, I thought that they took those reports and sent them for analysis at a level high- er than the state. To my knowledge there is not statewide database in Colorado that feeds into a national database for accident reporting and analysis. When I called our representative at CDE, he told me that he has not compiled data recently, but was working on it. Other than the NHTSA database I don’t know what else might be
out there that we can pull information from. Te lessons that all of us can learn from former accidents are vital to any transportation depart- ment’s safety program. Te best example I saw at tracking, analyzing, and compiling accident data was during my time in the military. Te database maintained by staff at Fort Rucker was phenomenal. On many occasions I used that information for training, safety briefings, and safety presentations.
I do understand that establishing, maintaining, and managing a database is a ton of work. I can understand why it fell off Doug Snyder’s plate because of the time and effort it takes. Using accident data to prevent accidents is vital to all of us. I have always said that the best safety program is a proactive safety program because that is a program focused on accident prevention. Te worst safety program is a reactive safety program because that is a program that is always picking up the pieces and explaining to others that maybe we didn’t do enough!
David A. Hartzell Jr., Director of Transportation Harrison School District #2, Colorado Springs, Colo.
10 School Transportation News March 2013
Graphic Design Maria Molina
Copy Editor Michelle Fisher
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Linda Bluth, Peggy Burns, Michelle Fisher, John Whelan, Dick Fischer, Denny Coughlin, Ned Einstein, Art Gissendaner, Julie Metea, Eric Woolson
Vice President Colette Paul
Ad Sales Tony Corpin
Circulation Andrea Hernandez
Marketing Coordinator Diane O'Meara
Marketing Assistant Stephanie Bours
Chairman of the Board Bill Paul, STN Media Group
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EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD:
Denny Coughlin, Consultant; Judith Dupille, Massachusetts Registry of Motor Vehicles; Dick Fischer, Trans-Consult; Ron Love, Delaware DOE; Randy McLerran, National Bus Sales; Pete Meslin, Newport-Mesa Unified; Nancy Netherland, Migrant- Seasonal Head Start; Marshall Casey, Consultant; Alexandra Robinson, NAPT; Launi Schmutz, Washington County
Schools
HOW TO WRITE OR E-MAIL STN SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION NEWS welcomes expressions of all views. Letters should be brief and are subject to editing for grammar, style and space. Submissions must be legible, include a signature, job title/ employer name, valid mailing and/or e-mail address, and telephone number. Unsigned letters or letters signed only with a pseudonym or initials will not be used. Email letters to:
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