INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS: BRIEFS
Industry Associations Answer NTSB Guidance on Using Seat Belts in School Buses
investigations into fatal crashes last year in New Jersey and Florida. A separate proposal includes guidelines to assist training of driv-
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ers, students and parents on correct seat-belt usage. Te SBMTC and NASDTPS made the respective announcements
Dec. 11 in response to the NTSB findings. Two days earlier, NAPT and NSTA supported NTSB’s recommendation that student riders receive biannual training on proper seat-belt usage. But NAPT and NSTA stated they cannot support advising their members to consider purchasing new school buses with three-point, lap-shoulder belts “un- til the significant and conflicting policy differences between the two federal safety agencies (NHTSA and NTSB) are resolved, hopefully with the added science of dynamic crash testing…”
proposal to require school bus drivers to verify that flip-up seat cushions are latched before their pre-trip inspections will be submitted to the National School Transportation Specifications & Procedures in response to the National Transportation Safety Board
Meanwhile, NASDPTS said it would provide guidelines to its members on the proper fit of manual lap belts, adjustable lap-and- shoulder belts and flexible seating systems. It also will advise states or school districts to consider adding the three-point systems when purchasing new school buses. Te proposed requirement and guidelines will be presented at the
May 2015 National Congress on School Transportation (NCST), which is charged every five years with updating the national specs adopted by states. In July the NTSB specifically requested that NAPT, NSTA,
NASDPTS, the School Bus Manufacturer’s Technical Council and the National Safety Council’s School Transportation Section pro- vide association members with educational materials on lap-shoul- der belts and asked them to advise members to consider this type of belt, rather than lap belts, when purchasing seat belt–equipped school buses.
U.S. Senate Passes School Bus Safety Resolution Promoted by CSN
NHTSA ANNOUNCES FINAL RULE REQUIRING SEAT BELTS ON MOTORCOACHES
he National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will require three-point, lap-shoulder belts for all passengers and the driver on new motorcoaches and “over-the-road” buses that weigh more than 26,000 pounds GVWR and are manufactured after Nov. 25, 2016 and. School buses and transit buses are excluded. NHTSA said the regulation finalizes more than six
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years of work to improve motorcoach safety, which began in 2007 and continued two years later with the U.S. DOT’s Motorcoach Safety Action Plan, as well as several congressional bills. It was also a provision under the MAP-21 federal highway reauthorization act signed by President Obama in 2012. “Several bus crashes in recent years have illustrated that
crashes of these vehicles can cause a significant number of fatal or serious injuries in a single event, due in part to the high occupancy rate of the vehicles, the speed at which they travel and occupant ejection in rollovers,” NHTSA wrote in the final rule. In 2009, scientific research conducted at NHTSA’s
Vehicle Research and Test Center found that lap-shoul- der belts could reduce the risk of fatal injuries in rollover crashes by 77 percent. In unrelated news, NHTSA Administrator David
Strickland stepped down on Dec. 8. David Friedman is acting administrator.
26 School Transportation News January 2014
resolution that dedicates the entire month of October to school bus safety and supports the mission of the Child Safety Network (CSN) passed the U.S. Senate by unanimous consent. Co-sponsors Sen. Jay Rockefel-
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ler, chairman of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transpor- tation, and Ranking Member John Tune (pictured above, from left) embraced the resolution and generat- ed bipartisan support in Congress. CSN founder Ward Leber said he
is partnering with the National PTA to plan school bus safety week events nationwide at 22,000 schools.
Te CSN Safe Bus provides free
safety technology and training for the nation’s buses and drivers. Te Safe Bus technology enables GPS tracking of school buses, which saves schools money, reduces carbon emis- sions, tracks driver performance and alerts parents when buses will arrive. Te Bus Alert System, GPS and
training is provided free free of charge via corporate sponsorship. “Te training provided by CSN
Safe Bus includes advanced driver safety curriculum, how to transport children with special needs and an all-important series on anti-bullying for students and drivers,” said Leber.
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