SPECIAL REPORT


and their drivers account for 56.5 percent of all fatalities in the Danger Zone. “These loading zone incidents are really about student


pedestrians,” said session panelist Keba Baldwin, direc- tor of transportation at Prince George’s County Public Schools in Maryland and 2025 STN Transportation Direc- tor of the Year. “Every student … is a pedestrian for some period of time before they get on that bus.” That reality reinforces the need for a safe system ap-


proach, which assumes human error and builds multiple layers of protection. “Humans make mistakes,” said Graham, who moderated the discussion. “Drivers, kids, bus drivers, not everything is going to work at the same time to perfection.” He noted adherence to three


pillars of safety: Education, engi- neering and enforcement. Education teaches drivers the


law, trains students to navigate bus stop safety and ensures par- ents understand their role. Hafezizadeh said it’s important to train drivers, but also educate families. “Explain the why again,” he said.


Engineering involves vehicle


drivers are unable or unwilling to adjust mirrors prop- erly and occasionally compensate by leaning or shifting in their seats. This workaround, McDonald called, “is a recipe for disaster.” The consequences can be severe. In crash investiga-


tions, visibility failures are closely scrutinized, he said. If a bus does not meet required visibility standards at the time of an incident, even bigger issues can result. “If the mirrors don’t pass that grid test … the big word


If the mirrors


design and infrastructure, from stop arms and lighting to route planning that minimizes the need for children to cross busy roads. Enforcement, whether through police or cameras, rein- forces accountability. Even with strong laws and enforcement, safety ulti-


comes out.” - Dave McDonald


don’t pass the grid test...the big word liability


liability comes out,” McDonald said. Even when mirrors are properly adjusted, blind spots cannot be eliminated entirely. Drivers must actively compensate by scanning, repositioning and maintain- ing constant awareness, especially during loading and unloading when children may move unpredictably. The in- dustry has seen several fatalities where a student was killed due to a dragging incident or to pick something up that they dropped after unloading from their school bus. Uniform standards not only


for laws but also training and equipment are critical. Without consistency, the effectiveness of even the best-designed safety systems depends too heavily on individual habits. McDonald added that poorly


adjusted mirrors can prevent school bus drivers from seeing


mately depends on what bus drivers can see and what they can’t. School buses are designed with specialized mirror systems and federal visibility standards intended to eliminate blind spots, particularly in the danger zone. “The mirrors are only as good as their adjustment,” said industry expert Dave McDonald, during his March 28 session Focused Driver 111: Proper Mirror Adjustment and Distracted Driving. Improperly adjusted mirrors can leave critical gaps


directly in front of or alongside the bus, where children are most likely to be walking. Federal guidelines require drivers to maintain clear sightlines around the bus. But in practice, those standards are not always consistently enforced or checked. McDonald took attendees outside to the parking lot to


demonstrate how to adjust mirrors in compliance with FMVSS 111, the federal requirement used to capture as much of the Danger Zone as possible. Substitute drivers, time pressures and inconsistent training can all lead to compromised visibility, he noted, adding that some


22 School Transportation News • MAY 2026


children in the Danger Zone. While he said camera tech- nology and collision avoidance systems add new layers of protection, they can’t detect blind spots or identify potential hazards like humans can. At least not yet. “You can’t program a computer to react to every


[decision] a human will do in a spur of the moment,” McDonald said, emphasizing that human behavior remains unpredictable. As the sessions at STN EXPO East reiterated, none of these efforts are fully effective alone and without con- sistency. Standardizing school bus passing laws could reduce confusion and improve compliance. “We’ve got decades of data showing [motorists are] go- ing to pass,” Graham said. “So, we have to focus on what happens when they do, and how we keep kids safe.” He noted that responsibility is not limited to the


motorists that break the law but extends to the training that shapes the behavior. From the policies that guide enforcement, and the education that prepares children and motorists, he said. “Responsibility is shared,” Graham concluded. “It’s not just the bad guy who passed the school bus.” ●


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