FIRST TAKE The ‘Way It’s Always Been’ Is No


Longer an Excuse In July, NASDPTS released at the Southeastern


States Pupil Transportation Conference results from its second national illegal passing count. Only 28 states participated in the one-day report on the num- ber of motorists who ignore — or fail to see — the school bus stop arm and flashing red lights. Tis year’s participation, or lack thereof, surprised


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By Ryan Gray


me considering the headlines made during the past year on state laws to catch illegal passers or to allow school districts to utilize video to catch perpetrators in the act. Te U.S. House of Representatives even passed a provision earlier this year that would direct NHTSA to appropriate $10 million to states to enforce school bus stop laws. But technological advancements and legislation aside, attention ultimately


ryan@stnonline.com


Publisher: Tony Corpin Editor: Ryan Gray


Associate Editor: Sylvia Arroyo Tenior Designer Rimber Horne Kobert Pudlewski Graphic Designer: K Maria Molina Graphic Designer: Maria Molina


Sechnical Editor:


Senior Designer: imber Horne aphics Intern: Todd Fishback Copy Editor: Michelle Fisher


Multimedia Editor: Corina Van Damme Contributing Editors:


turned elsewhere, just like the hundreds of thousands of motorists each day who fail to heed to the school bus. Previously, I’ve discussed a need for the in- dustry to take a leadership role in ensuring teen drivers are taught about school bus safety as a pre-requisite to earning their licenses. As a teen I was taught to yield to emergency vehicles with blaring sirens, but no mention was made on what to do when encountering school buses. In fact, before first reporting on this industry more than 10 years ago, I didn’t know I was supposed to stop at all. At this year’s STN EXPO, a presenter made the case for perhaps the easiest,


most common-sense solution: change the national standard on school bus markings. Yes, statistics show that school buses as currently constructed are the safest vehicle on the road. But data also indicate that the least safe place for students or other pedestrians is in the so-called “danger zone” around the school bus. Shmuel Bolen, a senior user experience designer with electronic payroll


company ACI Worldwide, is an expert on how the human eyeball processes what it sees. He approached me last fall with an STN EXPO general session idea that came to fruition July 22 in Reno, Nev. Speaking to him last No- vember, it became obvious to me that his theories made too much sense to be ignored. His own informal test results performed on a dozen people from all different ethnic and racial backgrounds showed that the way the industry “has always done things” regarding school bus lettering makes little cognitive sense to motorists. For example, Bollen asked why the words “School Bus” are even on the


vehicle in the first place. After all, his own 4-year-old daughter knows it’s a school bus at first glance. Instead, Bollen said that real estate on the back and front of school buses and between the flashing red lights is where the eye expects to see the message “Do Not Pass When Lights Flash,” which oftentimes is marked about four to five feet below on the emergency door. Are these conflicting messages? Bollen and hundreds of conference at-


tendees said yes. He wants to see NHTSA or the Volpe Center take up a formal study, and for the industry to take a hard look at school bus lettering. You can read his article starting on page 42. Te ball is now in the court of the National Congress on School Trans-


portation. But waiting until 2015 to make the first move toward change will inevitably and tragically come too late for far too many. ■


Contributing Editors:


Linda Bluth, Peggy Burns, Michelle Fisher, John Whelan, Dick Fischer, Denny Coughlin, Ned Einstein, Glen Moyer, Art Gissendaner, Anson Stewart, Shanna Thompson Zareski


Linda Bluth, Peggy Burns, Michelle Fisher, John Whelan, Dick Fischer, Denny Coughlin, Ned Einstein, Glen Moyer, Art Gissendaner, Anson Stewart, Shanna Thompson Zareski


Vice President: Colette Paul General Manager: Branden Smeltzer Editorial Director: Ryan Gray Director of Marketing: Chris Berry Ad Sales: Tony Corpin Circulation: Andrea Hernandez Event Manager: Janna Smeltzer Chairman of the Board: Bill Paul, STN Media Group


Vice President: Colette Paul General Manager: Branden Smeltzer Editorial Director: Ryan Gray Ad Sales: Tony Corpin Circulation: Andrea Hernandez Marketing Coordinator: Diane O’Meara Chairman of the Board: Bill Paul, STN Media Group


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; R arshall Casey, Consultant; Alexandra Robinson, NAPT; Launi Schmutz, Washington County Schools


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The views and opinions in SCHOOL TRANSPORTATION NEWS are those of the editorial staff. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the members of the Editorial Advisory Board or their organizations. Individuals serving on the board are advisors only and are not responsible for the editorial content.


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8 School Transportation News Magazine October 2012


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