Let’s Get Serious! Why So Many Goof-Ups? How Do We Stop The Insanity? Lake Yale Workshop Wednesday March 30 Kay Kanupp Jamie Warrington Ronnie H. McCallister

Driver fired for leaving kids on school bus wants unemployment Buses collide, pupils injured Driver Crashes School Bus With 41 Kids On Board FHP: Driver Going Too Fast On Wet Dirt Road Seat belt or hospital bed School Bus Slams Into Snow Plow Injuring 22 Kids, Driver Teen Accused Of 1 Death In DUI School Bus Crash Missouri School Bus Crash Leaves 2 Dead, Dozens Injured School bus rear- ends another bus Miami-Herald.com - Feb 25, 2011 The Headlines...

More Headlines Bus Driver over a 1000 text messages while at the wheel of the bus Ex-school bus driver charged with asking kid for sex--- offering to pay the child Drunk Bus Driver sentenced to six months behind bars- was at the wheel of a school bus dropping off kids at school when he collided with other vehicles Alcohol level 6 times above legal limit Child dies after school bus accident. Student was killed after he got caught in the bus door and was dragged about 20 feet. Bus driver fined for 'ignoring another bus' flashing lights' Attendant abuses child for months-goes unreported

School Bus vs. Snow Plow January 20, 2011: Savannah, NY: A school bus carrying 5 th & 6 th graders rear ends a town snowplow, injuring 22 students. The school bus is a total loss.

Bus slides off road, rolling over January 10, 2011: Colorado Springs, CO: School bus slides off of the road and rolls over. 12 students were injured. Police suspected that bus speed may have been a factor.

School Bus vs. School Bus vs. Semi Tractor vs. Truck October 5, 2010: Gray Summit, MO: Two school buses on a field trip collide when the operator of the second bus rear ends the first, pushing it upward and on top of a tractor-trailer cab, crushing a small pick-up truck in the process. Dozens of students were transported to area hospitals with injuries ranging from minor to serious. There were two fatalities in the pick- up truck.

Florida Driver Crashes School Bus With 41 Kids On Board FHP: Driver Going Too Fast On Wet Dirt Road GAINESVILLE, Fla. -- A school bus driver in Alachua County apparently lost control of the bus she was driving and crashed into a tree, according to a report by the Florida Highway Patrol. Operator was carrying 41 children on the bus at about 2 p.m. Thursday on SW 122nd Street in Gainesville. FHP said she was traveling at a rate of speed that was too fast for the conditions of the wet dirt road. The report said the bus skidded back and forth before the right side struck a tree on the east shoulder. Operator then made a controlled stop about 250 feet from the tree, according to the report. The bus was damaged on its right side and a window was shattered from the impact with the tree. Police said of the 41 children on board the bus, only five had minor injuries from flying glass. They were all treated at the scene. Operator was cited for driving too fast on a wet dirt road.

Florida Bus Rear Ends Another Bus CLERMONT, Fla. -- Authorities say a school bus rear-ended another school bus outside a central Florida school, but no students were seriously injured. The Florida Highway Patrol reports that the bus hit the bus parked in front outside East Ridge High School in Lake County Friday afternoon. The operator told troopers her foot became wedged between the accelerator and the brake. A total of 62 passengers were counted on the two buses. Several students complained of minor injuries, but no one was taken to the hospital. (Proper Shoes)

Florida- Two school buses collide, injuring 4 students Yesterday in Brevard County, the driver of a school bus for the Imagine Charter School in West Melbourne was transporting 24 students when he rear-ended another school bus. The accident occurred just before 8 a.m. February 2 in Palm Bay. The Imagine school bus rear ended the other bus,'' said a reporter from Palm Bay, according to the Orlando Sentinel. "A total of 24 children were on board the Imagine school bus which is contracted through ANS Transportation out of Naples." According to police, the 71-year-old driver failed to stop in time at an intersection, which caused her to rear-end the second school bus that was stopped there. No children were on the second bus. Four injured children were taken to the hospital, and the driver was cited for failure to use due care while driving.injured children Because of the size and momentum of the large vehicles, any commercial vehicle accident can result in serious or even life-ending injuries. Please take extra care whenever you see a school bus on the road.

Florida-School Bus Accident A December 2009 school bus accident in Lecanto, Florida, was the result of the driver speaking on her two-way radio, which drivers are trained to use for official communications while transporting students. This activity caused her to drive into the back of one vehicle ahead of her, which was stopped at a red light. In turn, this vehicle hit the car ahead of it. The driver of the rear-ended vehicle was sent to the emergency room with serious injuries, while several students on the school bus were treated for minor injuries. If a driver can be so detrimentally distracted while using equipment they are trained to use while driving, how much more distracted could they be by using a cell phone or handheld mobile device while on the road? Without the laws in place to enforce safety, only a personal commitment to attentiveness can keep drivers and their passengers safe from reckless driving accidents. Motorists can help ensure the safety of schoolchildren

Florida-Pedestrian Pair of Palm Beach school bus accidents a reminder of dangers faced by motorists and passengers The bus driver blamed for a Palm Beach school bus accident has twice been disciplined and has received three speeding tickets in his three years as a bus driver for the school district, the Sun- Sentinel reported. Palm Beach school bus accidentSun- Sentinel reported. The 54-year-old driver struck a 17-year-old as he was crossing Seminole Pratt-Whitney Road, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. The youth was listed in fair condition at S. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach on Thursday. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports more than half of all fatal accidents involving school buses are pedestrian accidents or accidents that occur while a passenger is getting on or off the bus. It is incumbent upon school districts and busing companies to be proactive in protecting the safety and welfare of passengers and the public, and that includes properly monitoring the driving records of bus drivers.Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Florida

FHP to probe Gadsden County school bus crash that injured dozens of students A school bus was involved in a single-vehicle crash Monday, March 8, 2010, sending dozens of students to area hospitals to be treated for injuries ranging from minor to critical. The West Gadsden High School bus was reportedly en route to the Boys & Girls Club in Chattahoochee when the horrifying incident occurred 41 students on board Struck a tree head on, consequently crushing it’s front end Two students transported in critical condition Six others were treated for various injuries Hospital treated approx. 20 students Speed appeared not to be a factor in the crash One Fatality

Mistakes Made-No Excuses Buses running into each other Operators smelling of alcohol and then arriving at work to take home a group of unsuspecting students Operators allowing parents and others on the bus to address issues their kids are involved in; then allowing the intruding parent to become involved with an altercation Allowing situations on the bus to escalate and become full-blown altercations-should you have a back-up plan. Let it go; the media will take care of it

More Mistakes Made-No Excuses When common sense is not in the mix for safety Operators not wearing the required seat belt Operators not acting in a professional manner Leaving students on the bus-No post trip inspection Running over students- not training students to remove themselves from the area of the bus

More Madness 1,068 texts while driving school bus: cops Surveillance cameras caught behind-the- wheel texting Daughter was attendant and had been abusing an autistic child on the bus for months.

Unprofessional Behavior How can we stop these incidents from occurring? Can it be prevented? Operators with NO common sense. Are they required to have common sense?

How Do We Fix It What can we do in our training classes and on a daily basis to bring awareness to these issues and eradicate them? Can these problems be fixed??????? What steps do we need to take to insure they do not happen again? Who is ultimately responsible?

Enough is Enough What are some of the steps to take to prevent media events from happening Training, Training, Training Return to the training class for senior operators who are complacent or just don’t see the danger any longer Know-it alls who have been there-done that All encompassing- young or newer operators that are trying to show off.

Let’s Get Serious Questions or Comments??????