SCHOOL BUS EXHAUST
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Part I
“Safety is the number-one issue, but we also look at consistency in construction,” he adds. Baxter, also Indiana’s state director of pupil transportation, says that his state had an
“extremely unusual year” in 2009 with three loading zone student fatalities. Such acci- dents usually occur at elementary schools, he explains, but two victims were secondary school students who were chasing their departing bus. In another case, a driver un- loaded an 11-year-old inside a parking lot rather than curbside, and the child was struck by another bus after cutting between parked cars and crossing the street. “When the student presents himself in loading zone equations, drivers might not even
be aware,” Baxter says. “We also talk about the need for drivers to make sure they are un- loading and loading at official designations on school property and always being aware of pedestrians. Now we know we need to provide more aggressive training in those areas.”
Multiple Dangers Require Multiple Approaches Baxter added that the frequency of stop-arm violations is another serious issue that needs
to be addressed at NCST, which will be held May 16-19 at the University of Central Missouri. “Now people are running red lights more frequently, and when they’re around school
buses, we’re finding the same occurrence,” he says, adding that he wishes to see all driv- ers, including parents, slow down and pay attention around school buses. Irv Schuetzner, director of transportation and emergency planning director for Mag-
nolia County Schools in West Virginia, agrees that stop-arm violations are on the rise and points to three fatalities in 2008 involving stopped school buses. “If only we could get more parents to understand what the stop arm means. Tat is a
significant part of bus safety,” he says. Another vital part of the equation is school-bus safety training for children, he notes, and
interactive tools like Robotronics’ “Buster the School Bus” can enhance that education. Af- ter the district’s first Buster robot burned in a building fire, Schuetzner said everyone rallied together to purchase a replacement, and ultimately won a specific grant for it. “Everyone familiar with Buster knew that an important teaching tool was lost. It has
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the stop arm and the crossing bar, so you can really demonstrate to the kids. We have smaller children walk around him so they know where to go when they get off the bus,” says Schuetzner. “Te best part is the remote-speaking feature. Anytime you can bring safety awareness to kids and make it fun, they will pay attention.” Floyd Tippets of Robotronics in Springville, Utah, says that Buster was carefully de-
signed to offer real-life lessons on proper loading and unloading procedures that keep students out of danger. “Once you use a prop like this to get kids’ attention, that’s when true learning occurs.
You can teach them a message and they’ll always associate it with the teaching method: ‘Buster told me that I can’t walk in front of a school bus and I learned about the danger zone,’” adds Tippets. Te voice modifier gives Buster a cartoon-character voice, upping the entertainment
value of the lesson, Tippets explains, and helping youngsters to remember important rules. Robotronics also supplies other safety materials, such as coloring books, for stu- dents to bring home. “Te kids are excited, and the retention is better when they’re having fun,” he says.
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“Proper training is proven to diminish accidents.” Fischer is also a huge advocate of training all students on how to safely cross the street and
to walk on the right side of the bus, including what to do if they drop something near the bus. He contends that the often-quoted 10-foot danger zone does not work for every bus driver because of height differences and variable seat and mirror adjustments. “Protecting children is all I’ve ever done. If you’re going to do it, then do it right. If you
do not do it right the first time, when will you have a time to do it over?” Fischer says. “Every driver I’ve talked to who’s had a fatality has said one thing: ‘If…’ Tis two-letter word is the biggest word in the dictionary.” n
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Editor’s Note: Part 2 of this article will feature more commentary on improving safety training and proper mirror adjustment and placement.
44 School Transportation News Magazine January 2010
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