common snagging incidents, similar to the handrail design flaw, are possibly caused by the placement of the service door switch. An optimal strategy for reducing the number of
students from becoming dragged by their school buses is to relocate the door opening control to the right side of the steering wheel, said Lawrence. “This location allows the driver when they need to
look for the door control to keep their students within their peripheral vision,” he said. “Many school buses have the door control switches on the left side of the steering wheel. This does not put their school bus drivers in a position to identify a student who may have been caught in the entrance door.” When that safety issue came to light at Fairport
Central School District, it relocated all of its door controls to the right side of the steering wheel. The change did not occur without initial criticism from some mechanics, who were asked to change more than 100 bus door controls, recalled Lawrence. “Some of our veteran drivers felt this was unnec-
essary and ridiculous,” he added. “After a year or two, I started receiving positive feedback that this relo- cation of the door control actually worked, as they almost caught a student in the door and probably would not have seen them if the switch was in the old location.” In 2016, New York state mandated a one-hour safety training curriculum on student draggings for all school bus drivers, monitors and attendants as a refresher topic. The state has the highest number of incidents among the 18 states that currently report them. It has been an effective tool in raising awareness, said Lawrence. He also reiterated the slogan coined by PTSI, “Check the Door, Once More!” It was conceived to serve as a powerful tool that all operators should post in their transportation centers. PTSI offers free hand- outs and poster versions for download online at ptsi. org/downloads. All operators are encouraged to include “Check the Door, Once More!” into their new employee
Our alternative transportation model helps bridge driver shortages while lowering transportation costs.
Rethinking
special education transportation
Our compassionate drivers are fully background checked, licensed, and trained.
Our vehicles all pass stringent safety and mechanical inspections.
GOADROIT.COM A BEACON MOBILITY COMPANY
www.stnonline.com 27
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 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68
