PUBLISHER’S CORNER


School is Back, So Are Safety Challenges


Written by Tony Corpin | tony@stnonline.com L


ast month, school startup kicked into high gear. It can be a stressful time for school trans- portation professionals as many issues and challenges can occur. For example, in Louisville,


Kentucky, the school transportation department strug- gled to get students to and from school on time, causing such disarray that the school district postponed classes for the first week to get things fixed. Many national me- dia outlets reported that the school bus driver shortage and inefficient routing were major factors behind this “disaster.” I can only assume compromises were made by the district when implementing the new routing soft- ware, but things went downhill quickly. Another disturbing story I read was about a Pre-K


student in Florida dropped off at the wrong school bus stop. She was found wandering the streets by a Good Samaritan who helped the little girl get back home. But that story could have had a tragic ending. “Safety is talked about all the time, but very few leaders and drivers know what safety means, or what to do to operate safely. Training, training and training is the only way to indoctrinate a safety culture,” explained Jeff Cas- sell, president of The School Bus Safety Company. Last month, my two daughters started the new school


year, and they were excited about going back to class and seeing their elementary school friends. But as a parent I need to be sure they get to school safely. We walk to school as our district doesn’t offer general education school busing. Yet walking can be more dangerous for students in many cases. So how do we improve safety on and around the school bus? I recommend starting with the parents as they have a vested interest in their child’s safety. The burden of school bus safety can’t fall solely on school transportation and the school bus driver. A survey conducted last summer by AAA reveals that


many drivers admit to risky behaviors like speeding and using their handheld mobile phone while driving through school zones. Out of 5,000 survey respondents from a dozen states, about 50 percent of drivers report- ed that they commute or take a regular driving route through a school zone. This time of year is particularly dangerous due to the


combination of young inexperienced drivers, and pe- destrians and bicyclists who will all share the road in the


66 School Transportation News • SEPTEMBER 2023


early morning and late afternoon hours. The AAA survey found 10 to 20 percent of respon-


dents, depending on the state, said they often or sometimes (deliberately or not) drive around a school bus while its red lights are flashing. Frankly, I expected these numbers to be even higher. Traveling to and from school on the school bus is by far the safest mode of transportation for students. How- ever, over the past 10 years, an average of six children per year were killed in the loading and unloading zone around the school bus, according to the Kansas State Department of Education’s National School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey. Meanwhile, according to the one-day illegal passing


survey conducted by NASDPTS, about 94,581 school bus drivers in 33 states, representing one-quarter of all school bus drivers nationwide, reported 62,482 vehicles passed their buses illegally on a single day during the 2022-2023 school year. The number of one-day illegal passing incidents climbs to over 242,000 when adjusted for 100 percent of the school bus drivers in the U.S. “Projected across a 180-day school year, these sample


results point to more than 43.5 million violations per year among America’s motoring public,” NASDPTS added. “We realize that school zones and bus stops can be a risky and dangerous place for children and that’s why the AAA School’s Open – Drive Carefully awareness campaign was created,” said Stephanie Milani, Ten- nessee public affairs director for AAA. “Our goal is to educate and remind drivers of the need to curb unsafe driving behaviors, slow down and stay alert in areas where children may be present.” School buses have been rolling for a month or two in most places, and the topic of safety remains top of mind. School Bus Safety Week is next month. I recommend you create a plan to engage your parents, school administrators and the community to get the message out. As an industry we need to spearhead actionable recommendations so we can prevent many of these tragedies. Being perfect all the time is a heavy burden school transportation professionals shoulder every day. But sav- ing a child’s life is well worth the effort. I wish you a safe and successful school year! ●


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