Bus disaster drills have been held all over country for years. A drill in Blairsville, Pennsylvania, taught officials important lessons: (1) keep roster of students and stops in designated area on bus, and ensure emergency workers know where location; (2) send at least three school officials to accident scene; (3) provide school officials with…

Provides an example of how one county public school system was able to minimize traffic accidents and increase safety around its schools. Illustrations are provided of safer bus loading zones, pedestrian walkways and sidewalks, staff parking, and acceptable methods for staging buses. A checklist for school driveway design concludes the article.…

Two bus accidents taught a school district the value of a self-developed plan of response to a school bus accident. Provides a sample school bus accident preparedness plan. (MLF)

In Fox River Grove, Illinois, 7 teenagers were killed the morning of October 25, 1995, when a 620-ton commuter train crashed into the rear end of their school bus. School, transportation, and safety officials have focused on three areas: train crossings and signals, bus-driver training, and school-bus construction. Lists 10 vital lessons for…

Preventing accidents in the first place should be the goal of school transportation directors. To do this, and limit liability, a district must (1) have a strong driver-training program; (2) check drivers' records and references; (3) provide and record maintenance of the bus fleet; and (4) spell out operating and training opportunities in…