News
Technology Coupled with Training Improves ‘Danger Zone’ Safety
WRITTEN BY RYAN GRAY |
RYAN@STNONLINE.COM I
n January, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie took time away from his presidential primary run to sign into law a bill that requires motion sensors on the front and back of all school buses. Te purpose of the New Jersey motion sensors is to detect the presence of students or other pedestrians at bus stops and to avoid child fatalities, like that of toddler Abigail Kuberiet, who wandered in front of her brother’s school bus and was struck when the driver didn’t know she was there.
Te bill was originally filed in 2004, a year after
Abigail’s death, but until recently, legislators admitted technology was unable to ensure the sensors worked correctly, meaning that they detected actual humans and not birds, dirt, snow, other vehicles or anything else non-human that can set off a false alarm. Tat was exactly the experience five Iowa school districts had a couple of years ago when piloting motion sensors. Te school districts found the sensors needed almost daily adjustment to work properly. Meanwhile, the New Jersey Department of Education
is working with the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission on regulations to be proposed to the State Board of Education over the next couple of months that outline the implementation process of Abigail’s Law. “Once the regulations are proposed, we will make
sure that schools districts and school bus providers have the pertinent information regarding the regulations,” a spokesman at the New Jersey DOE added. Jeff Cassell, president of School Bus Safety Company, said the real need is continued driver training to protect the danger zone for students, especially the youngest. His analysis of the National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey, produced each year by the Kansas State Department of Education and cross referenced with the National Center for Education Statistics, shows that students under 7 years old die at the bus stop at least three-and-a-half times more than older kids. For this reason, Cassell continues to offer his danger zones training free of charge to school districts nationwide. So far, he said he’s given away more than 1,000 copies. “If I can help to save the life of just one child in America, I’ll be over the moon,” he said. Cassell said he also champions crossing gates, the equipment installed on the front bumper of the bus to force students to walks farther in front of the bus when crossing so the driver can see them. While crossing gates are an optional specification in most states, he said he
16 School Transportation News • MAY 2016
believes that the rise in their use over the past decade, especially, has resulted in a reduction in the number of students struck and killed at the front of the school bus, and a drop from an average of 12.5 students killed each year at bus stops to the current average of 9.5 students. School Bus Safety Company also offers a free PSA video that educates motorists on school bus stop laws. Cassel’s analysis also found that 49.5 percent of the 115 student fatalities over the past 10 years occurred while crossing the street and being hit by a motorist who either ignored the school bus stop arm and flashing ambers, were distracted or didn’t know they were supposed to stop in the first place. As such, he said he doesn’t believe stop arm en-
forcement programs will work in changing motorists’ behavior around school bus stops. Others disagree. Kris Hafezizadeh, director of transportation at Austin ISD in Texas, said stop-arm video programs, like the one his district began in January, “promote the culture of safety for everyone to stop for school buses.” It appears to be making an impact, as local media
reported that more than 1,000 citations had been issued through March. Meanwhile, the New York Association for Pupil Trans-
portation has been pushing legislators in Albany to pass a bill allowing districts to use stop-arm video cameras to convict motorists of breaking the law.
School districts are pulling out all the stops when trying to capture the attention of motorists around
school buses, including the use of
additional LED lights that shine at eye level of other motorists.
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