New school bus safety guidelines went into effect last May. The safety measures are voluntary and their purpose is to help state officials as they review school bus standards. Summarizes accident statistics and briefly describes some of the more serious accidents involving school buses. (MLF)

Analyses of school bus accidents point to five accident-producing categories: (1) rear-end collisions; (2) sideswipes; (3) backing; (4) right turns; and (5) loading/unloading students. Reviews an accident of each type and focuses on the corrective action needed to reduce these accidents. (MLF)

Increasing information suggests school buses are defective at the manufacturing level. (Reprinted from The Financial Post, Feb. 24, 1973.) (Author)

A study to assess whether the school bus speed limit should be changed in Virginia is described in this report. The relationship between the safety characteristics of Virginia's three-tiered speed limit system and school bus operation is examined to determine the optimal level of safety for school bus travel. Virginia allows the following three…

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)

Describes the School Bus Driver Training Project in New York. (MLF)

This trainee guide contains six units of materials for use by those studying to become school bus drivers in the State of Illinois. Covered in the units are the following topics: school bus driver role and responsibility, passenger control, first aid, driving fundamentals, accidents and emergencies, and detecting hazards. Each unit contains a…

After a South Carolina school bus accident, involving the death of an automobile driver, the district was faced with a lawsuit. Advises school administrators not to rely on police authorities to gather all the evidence but to compile a thorough school-system accident report, written in close cooperation with a school attorney. Lists report…

Developed for teachers and members of the pupil transportation staff who conduct school bus drills, these 10 lesson outlines are intended for classroom instruction on school bus safety. Lessons may be adapted to fit the grade level, intelligence, and special needs of students. Topics covered are: preparing to ride the bus, boarding and proceeding…

Describes a Wisconsin school bus accident in which the driver was killed and students injured, and the school district's response. Suggests ways to cope with school bus accidents. (MCG)

This document provides a summary of selected school bus crash statistics for 1989. Information was obtained from the following data sources: the Fatal Accident Reporting System (FARS), the General Estimates System (GES), and the School Bus Fleet Annual Fact Book. The data are organized into four sections: (1) a summary of national and selected…

The procedures in this manual are designed to establish stability and continuity within the student transportation department of the Toms River Regional Schools in New Jersey. The manual is divided into three sections. Section 1 provides driver and aide specific information. It includes directives related to time clock, spare buses, and…

Careful hiring, monitoring, training, discipline, and safety policies will reduce school automobile and bus accidents. Guidelines are offered for accident reporting, claim handling, and dealing with insurance adjusters. (MLF)

A group is actively supporting legislation to require seat belts on only newly manufactured school buses. However, misinformation is being circulated to oppose the installation of seat belts in school buses. If the industry continues to block the installation of seat belts, punitive legislation may be passed. (MLF)

The majority of school bus fatalities occur to children who must walk in front of the school bus upon discharge. Drivers must be educated about this startling fact and know which passengers are more susceptible to fatal accidents. Children must be taught safety precautions. (MLF)