INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS: BRIEFS
Nine Children Killed Nationally at School Bus Stops, Kansas Report Finds
S
tates reported the same number of fatalities for the 2012-2013 school year during school bus loading and unloading operations as for the previous school year,
the Kansas State Department of Education announced last month. Te National School Bus Loading and
Unloading Survey reported nine student fatalities occurred in five states: Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana, North Carolina and Texas. North Carolina reported four fatalities and Texas two, while the other three states reported one each. Forty-six states partici- pated in the survey, up from 43 for the past three surveys dating back to the 2008-2009 school year. Six of the children were reportedly killed
by vehicles that illegally passed the school bus with its flashing red loading lights engaged and its federally mandate stop arm extended. All four North Carolina fatalities occurred at the hands of an illegally passing motorist. Of the three students struck and killed
by their own school bus, in all cases a Type C conventional, two were killed at the rear wheels while one died at the front. Nearly two-thirds of the fatalities occurred on the trip home. Students leaving home for school represented 22 percent of the nine fatalities. Te children killed ranged in age from 1 to 14. Because not every state reports the num-
ber of student deaths around the school bus, the statistics were lower than student fatal- ity numbers compiled by STN. According to this research, there were not nine but 16 student deaths around the school bus or bus stop during the 2011-2012 school year. Te discrepancy between STN and Kan- sas totals may arise from the definition of “loading and unloading zone” as related to bus stops. Wilma Crabtree of the KSDE’s School Bus Safety Unit said they only count fatalities that occur when the school bus is “in the vicinity” of the bus stop. STN, meanwhile, tracks the mention of school bus stops in articles on student fatalities that are published across the country whether or not the school bus was on the scene. "One of the factors here is the fact that
the school bus often takes off after the collision with the 'other' vehicle and doesn't even show up on the police report when the child is mauled while J-walking," said trans- portation consultant Ned Einstein, who has been an expert witness in more than 60 legal cases involving student crossing fatalities or injuries. Te national survey has been conducted
every year since 1970. Since then, more than 73 percent of student fatalities involved stu- dents aged 1 to 9 years old. During the past 43 years, 65 percent of the fatalities, or 786,
occurred during the trip home compared to 32 percent, or 385, on the trip to school. Another 3 percent, or 41 deaths, occurred during an activity or “other” trip. Te school bus was involved 57 per- cent of the time, while an illegally passing motorist ws involved 39 percent of the time. Four percent consists of an “other” vehicle. Additionally, KSDE amended its 2006- 2007 survey results after finding there were four children killed by illegal passers that school year, bringing the total deaths to 11.
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FirstGroup Names New President of First Student, Resists Call from Shareholder to Sell School Bus Operations
irstGroup plc has hired former Aramark Education's Dennis Maple to succeed Linda Burtwistle as president of First Student. Te move was made one month
after the company rejected a proposal by a minority shareholder to sell its school bus and Greyhound intercity bus operations in North America to pay down debt and to re-invest in its United Kingdom-based business.
"He has a proven track record of leader-
ship, business improvement and building strong relationships with customers, partners and employees," FirstGroup CEO Tim O'Toole said of Maple in a statement on Jan. 8. "Although there remains much to be done
to leverage our scale as the market leader and deliver long-term sustainable growth, the wealth of experience that Dennis brings will be invaluable in driving the recovery programme (sic) forward to the next phase and building on the actions already taken." Maple is also a former executive at Coors,
Kraft Foods, Pepsico and Quaker Oats. Earlier, a First Student spokeswoman
confirmed that in early December hedge fund Sandell Asset Management had urged the FirstGroup board in Aberdeen, Scot- land to off First Student and Greyhound to reverse a trend of falling stock prices and to protect the company’s credit rating. But the proposal was dismissed as
24 School Transportation News February 2014
containing “a number of flaws and inaccu- racies,” according to Te Guardian. O’Toole responded on Dec. 11 that the company has no plans to sell its businesses that were acquired seven years ago from Laidlaw. “We have a well-defined vision and
remain focused on delivering our local plans, achieving our targets and providing the high-quality service that our customers deserve,” O’Toole added. Sandell has a 3.1-percent stake in the
Aberdeen, Scotland company, which operates bus and train lines throughout the United Kingdom in addition to First Student, First Transit and Greyhound in the U.S. and Canada.
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