News
to do exhaustive medical searches of driver applicants. Drivers are trained to perform dai- ly pre-and post-trip inspections of their buses and onboard cameras can be used to verify driver speeding and hard breaking. According to Dr. Michael Zelek, associ- ate superintendent at Grays Lake Commu- nity High School District 127 in Illinois, prevention is a key factor in risk manage- ment. Tis can be achieved by training drivers properly, providing the students with awareness of bus safety, teaching stu- dents the bus rules and regulations, sharing communications with the parents, and generally providing safety tips for anyone coming in contact with the bus. “Tere is a big difference with age groups and it is important that all people need to be aware of potential risks,” Zelek said, noting that it’s important for K-5 students to know how to board the bus properly. And if something goes wrong on the bus, the students know who to tell. Education in the classroom, meanwhile,
can teach students to be aware of their surroundings and also teach them to be as safe as they can be when getting on and off the bus properly, and staying away from the wheels and all danger zones. If an accident does occur, Zelek said school districts and contractors must take steps to discover what happened by interviewing the drivers, discussing what if anything could have been done to avoid the accident and, going forward, how the students can be put into the safest possible environment. A top priority of school bus contractors is consideration for the safety of students and drivers as well as keeping a watchful eye on bus maintenance. First Student shares school bus safety tips with the districts they serve, parents, and students at the start of each school year to reinforce safe behavior. Company spokesman Chris Kemper said bus drivers typically take part in more than 50 hours of classroom and behind-the-wheel training before ever operating a live route with children on
board. Training topics range from student behavioral management to bus safety to de- fensive driving. First Student also conducts in-service meetings throughout the year to discuss various safety topics as well as review company policies and procedures. In achieving safety through school bus maintenance, Kemper said First Student customizes preventive maintenance inspec- tions to each piece of equipment’s opti- mum service interval. Tey go beyond the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) recommendations to heighten vehicle safety, maximize equipment life cycle and achieve greater work efficiency. Also, both pre-and post-trip inspections
are required tasks for each bus run, per the industry standard. Inspections are conduct- ed with the handheld Zonar Electronic Vehicle Inspection Reporting device to gen- erate the electronic vehicle inspection report on more than 40 critical safety components. Te report is then forwarded electronically to the maintenance team to address. ●
Certifi ed Seat Covers and Foam | Car Seats | Evacuation and Fire Blankets
Distributors For: E-Z-ON: Safety Vests, Cam Harnesses BESI: Pro Tech lll, Universal Vest, Over the Shoulder Harnesses SURE-LOK Q’STRAINT
3 POINT/INTEGRATED SCHOOL BUS SEATS Product: Safeguard Star
1.800.543.0575 |
www.ewss.org | 10939B Reed Hartman Hwy. • Cincinnati, OH 45242 24 School Transportation News • APRIL 2017 CELEBRATING25YEARS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
