School Transportation News Magazine | September 2009


[Headlines]


Defensive Driving: Part of the Safety Game Plan By Stephane Babcock


“Always keep your eyes moving and look ahead 10 to 15 seconds so that you know what is happening ahead of you.”


– Gary Alexander, National Point and Insurance Reduction Course For most parents, it is not just their newly-licensed teenager


behind the wheel of the family car that they worry about, it is the other drivers that populate the bustling streets as well. More than one transportation director has lost sleep for the same rea- son, only it is their drivers who are navigating the busy morning and afternoon routes of any school day. “Mostly, I emphasize on being courteous, letting the other ve-


hicle go first, and don’t be in such a hurry. Life is too short; we all need to slow down and listen to the music, so to speak,” said Don Jensen, transportation director for Mt. Adams School Dis- trict No. 209 in White Swan, Wash. Jensen also tells his drivers to allow time and space for the


mistakes that other drivers can make and to actually expect the other driver to make a mistake. And don’t forget to listen to that inner voice, that gut feeling that something bad could happen. Gary Alexander, the founder of the National Point and Insurance


Reduction Course, shared a similar take on driving defensively and explained that drivers always need to look at the “big picture” when on the roads. “Always keep your eyes moving and look ahead 10 to 15 sec-


onds so that you know what is happening ahead of you,” said Alexander, who created the course in the 1980s for Los Ange- les area drivers. Another important but simple ad-


age repeated throughout his teaching is that “attitude determines altitude.” Getting into your bus with a negative attitude will translate into a negative driving persona, according to Alexan- der. Starting routes free of stress and tension gives drivers a step ahead of the numerous “rage-aholics” that have given evening news programs more than adequate fodder on instances of road rage. But what about the bus load of stu-


dents that don’t always think about how their behavior can affect the driver’s abili- ty to fully concentrate on the road ahead? “School bus drivers need to ‘have


eyes in the back of their heads.’ Tis is certainly easier said than done,


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but there are some actions drivers can take to improve their ability to monitor what is going on behind them as well as all around them,” added Alexander. First and foremost, try to keep distractions to a minimum. Tis


“easier said than done” piece of advice is one that drivers need to share with their students. Distractions such as eating, loud music and cell phones can all affect a driver. Students who are creating a distraction should be quieted down as quickly as possible. But, advice can only be hammered home when it is part of a manda- tory training course. In the state of New Mexico, the Public Education Department


has mandated that the pre-service training for all new drivers must include eight hours of defensive driving training. Te man- dated course comes from the National Safety Council’s “Coach- ing the School Bus Driver,” which covers railroad crossings, ad- verse weather conditions, inspection checkpoints and driving on fields trips. “Te intent of the program is to help drivers be-


come more aware of the dangers on the road and off the road,” said Jeff Hunt, director of transporta- tion for Central Consolidated School District No. 22 in Kirtland, N.M. “Te program helps drivers to become more alert and aware of


their


surroundings and possible problems that may occur.” Trainees must also


complete an analysis of their current driving skills, and resulting defi- ciencies are highlighted. The course also helps new drivers build confi- dence in their driving and their ability to handle in- cidents that may arise. “Tere are too many distracted while


drivers


on the road and we all need to drive as defen- sively as possible,” concluded Hunt. n


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