Personal Injury Law

Hail to the Bus Driver...and the Administration

By Megan Roth

A major safety concern for schools is transportation. Schools work hard to ensure they offer students safe, efficient, and economical means of transportation and there are School Bus Safety Programs and even a National Coalition for School Bus Safety dedicated to reducing the number of injuries and accidents related to both vehicle and behavioral regulations.

While buses can come in various sizes, the average school bus has 39-inch seats lining both sides of the aisle (generally between 22 and 24 seats total). The maximum capacity for each seat is generally set at three (this is the rated maximum capacity, meaning three is the acceptable number of elementary-aged children to squeeze in a seat; older students generally fit two to a seat).

School buses must have the rated maximum capacity posted at the head of the bus, and it's incredibly important that they actually abide by this number. Abidance by these seating standards, combined with the padded interior of seats, provides 'occupant protection' for students, despite the non-existence of seatbelts. How? The strong, closely-spaced seats have energy-absorbing backs and, as long as all students fit wholly into the seats, they will be afforded that protection.

Other forms of student protection include bus cross-ams and flashing safety lights (it's illegal for other drivers to pass when either of these devices is in use). In addition, many buses have information posted on the interior concerningschool bus etiquette (noise should be limited so as not to distract the driver) and danger zones ((areas around the bus which are unsafe to walk in due to the driver's limited visibility); it's important students know where these zones are to ensure proper loading into and off of the bus.

It's necessary for schools not only to ensure that their vehicles are safe but also for them to make sure their avenues of transportation are safe. Weather conditions are incredibly important when it comes to bus routes and alternate means of transportation, and there are even organizations and programs dedicated to making sure school bus routes are both safe and convenient.

There are many other factors which can influence bus safety; however, these are some of the well-known-but-not-so-often-considered key points I find worth mentioning. They're both easy to abide by and minimal in terms of being a financial burden...and as an added bonus they may save a students life. Why wouldn't schools abide by them?!

Full post as published by Des Moines Personal Injury Lawyer on September 11, 2008 (boomark / email).