School Bus Safety Research – The Way Forward Jerry Davis, PhD, CSP, CPE Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering Auburn University, AL Yousif ‘Joe’ Abulhassan, PhD, AEP Assistant Professor, Occupational Safety & Health Murray State University, KY

Our Time Together Accomplishments to Date Technology for Future Studies What’s next? Questions & Comments

School Bus Evacuation As you just heard, our interest for the past ~ 3 years has been in SB Evacuation. Though it may not seem like a long time, we have accomplished quite a bit 

Accomplishments to Date ‘Themed’ INSY 8010 – Advanced Safety Engineering (F13) – SB Evacuation. Established a relationship with Blue Bird Corporation engineers. Submitted three small research proposals, with two of them being funded. Worked to get three IRB’s approved to conduct this type of research with children.

Accomplishments to Date Auburn (AL) Fire Department cut-up the bus simulator for real world experience. Established relationship with State of AL. Established relationships with Jim Pearson Elementary & Oak Mountain Elementary Schools. Conducted three initial research studies in Joe’s doctoral work.

Published Research With sparse empirical evacuation times published in scientific literature, it is important to establish baseline times for measurement purposes.

In Review "Physical and Cognitive Capabilities of Children during Operation and Evacuation of a School Bus Emergency Roof Hatch." Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. “Evacuating A Rolled-Over School Bus: Considerations for Young Evacuees.” Safety Science.

Future Study Technology We would like to show you a relatively new Inertial based ‘motion capture technology’ that we plan on using in future studies (as appropriate).

Motion Capture of Critical Populations for Vehicle Ingress/Egress Student: Rong Huangfu Advisor: Sean Gallagher Purpose: The objective of this study was to investigate the motion paths associated with ingress and egress from three vehicle types (compact car, sedan, and sport utility vehicle [SUV]) for individuals of varying age and anthropometry. Funding Source: Hyundai - KIA America Technical Center Inc.

Motion Capture of Critical Populations for Vehicle Ingress/Egress Subjects: 93 participants, comprised of three groups: (1) 21-65 years old with normal BMI; (2) High BMI group (>30 kg/m2); and (3) Aged group (>65 years old) Methodology: Each car’s driver compartment was mapped using a Vicon motion analysis system. Subjects were measured for 45 anthropometric variables, adjusted the driver’s compartment to their preference, and donned wireless motion analysis sensors. https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B87fQhAQSCxifmUxVXhvQVhZZ25hRm52ZU83aE5kTkRlMnY4eEM0YjlNV1JWVUFOXzZ5N2s&usp=sharing

Motion Capture of Critical Populations for Vehicle Ingress/Egress Results: Preferred driver adjustments were influenced by individual subject characteristics and car model. High-BMI subjects adjusted the seat further back and further down. On average, aged subjects adjusted seats further forward & employed more support strategies.

Evaluation of School Bus Emergency Evacuation Systems Many students in kindergarten did not have the stature or strength capabilities to self-extricate through the emergency exits when the school bus was in a rolled-over orientation. https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B87fQhAQSCxiTmpRTV9NV0hVUTQ&usp=sharing

Size Matters

What’s Next? Essentially we look at this initial work as ‘Proof of Concept/Pilot Study’. We want to replicate the Exit Door & Roof Hatch studies on a larger scale including all grades (K12), allowing for more statistical strength and age ranges to perform on the apparatus. We anticipate a potential BMI effect.

Evacuation Training Device Develop a device that can be used in evacuation training exercises at the district level. We would like to know the interest in a device such as this.

Pieces & Parts We have only studied one door and one hatch. We desire to evaluate other doors and hatches (different mechanisms) in future studies. Eventually, we will want to roll over an entire bus, so we can quantify various scenarios.

Bus Seat-Belt Usage We are interested in studying the impact on evacuation time of students (especially younger ones) seat-belted into bus seats.

Modeling Survivability We have three ultimate goals in our research - Work with SB Manufacturers and Regulators to assess the current state of ‘Evacuation Regulations’. Develop Evacuation Models for the bus post-accident using software based on our egress data to assess survival rate considering fire, smoke, etc. Work towards ‘Improving’ the performance of current evacuation systems through engineering design. It is not enough to simply assess, we seek to improve (and quantify that improvement).

What We can do for You… Graduate Education (degrees & certificates) Continuing Education (short courses, CEUs) Seminars and Presentations Referrals - potential problem solvers/information Internships with our Graduate Students Opportunities for Funded Research Access to our Laboratories and Equipment Expert witness experience

What You can do for Us… Work with us to provide for Bus Evacuation Studies that the Manufacturers are interested in conducting and funding. Provide support letters for external grant applications. Work with us to provide apparatus for our research studies. Keep us focused on what is ‘important’ in the safe transportation of students.

Questions & Comments Dr. Abulhassan will be available most of the day to answer questions and discuss potential collaboration possibilities. Joe’s cell number is (503) 880-5045. ‘Thank You Very Much’ for allowing us to speak with you today. It is appreciated!