Looks at some of the current requirements for school bus safety under Standard 17 developed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (Author/WM)

The Alaska State Board of Education has adopted the national "Minimum Standards for School Buses, 1970 Revised Edition." The purpose of this document is to specify school bus minimum standards for Alaska that are in addition to the national standards. All regular school buses must comply with applicable federal motor vehicle safety…

This accident report illustrates and exemplifies three significant safety issues with which the Board has long been concerned: (1) the use of seatbelts by the drivers of schoolbuses, (2) the location and security of schoolbus fuel tanks, and (3) the mode of opening of schoolbus service doors. (Photographs may reproduce poorly.) (Author)

Outlines the development of the National Minimum Standard Conferences. The major purpose of these conferences has been recommendations regarding standards and operations for school buses. (MD)

Lists several safety features for school buses and their approximate costs. School districts often miss out on these features if they operate under a low-bid-takes-all purchasing system. (Author/WM)

Discusses elements of an efficient, comprehensive school bus safety program. (Author/MLF)

A 1988 school bus disaster in Kentucky killed 27 passengers. A new book, "Reckless Disregard: Corporate Greed, Government Indifference, and the Kentucky School Bus Crash," by James S. Kunen, recounts the accident and the long court struggle to prove why the children died. Cites federal standards for bus safety that have been upgraded several times…

Argues that all drivers of school buses should be trained professionals, and explains how parent awareness of discipline problems on buses can be increased by playing them a tape recording of a ride. Discusses the efforts of a research team to draft a performance standard for the construction of a school bus body with emphasis on panel separation,…

Examines critically the National Transportation Safety Board's post-1977 school bus standards, which encourage but do not require seat belts. (JBM)

This report presents a program that derived a compliance test procedure for school buses with a gross vehicle weight of 10,000 pounds or greater. The objective of this program was to evaluate Fuel System Integrity (FMVSS 301) in relation to school buses, conduct a limited state-of-the-art survey and run full-scale dynamic tests to produce an…

The key position in any student transportation system is that of school bus driver. The driver's responsibilities are such that a specific program of school bus driver education becomes a necessity. A review of the literature reveals that no studies pertaining to school bus driver education have been made. This thesis documents the history and…

While school buses transport more passengers per trip, the rate of occupant fatalities per mile driven for school buses is one-quarter that for passenger cars. Nevertheless, the public expects school districts and other school bus operators to take all reasonable precautions to protect children as they travel to and from school. Although a variety…

This publication deals with suggested maintenance standards that apply to vehicles used for pupil transportation in California and covers all the safety-related systems that are common to most buses. The guide has been prepared to help all school bus and school pupil activity bus operators set up an inspection and preventive maintenance program…

This publication is a collection of the statements made in a hearing before the Subcommittee on Transportation, Tourism, and Hazardous Materials of the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives. In particular, the topic was the safety implications of a Kentucky school bus crash on May 14, 1984. Discussed are the issues of…

This booklet contains the revised minimum standards put into effect and enforced beginning with new school bus models that appeared after January 1, 1972. These standards apply to (1) conventional type body-on-chasis vehicles having a seating capacity of 24 or more pupils; (2) conventional type body-on-chasis vehicles that are less than 96 inches…