1. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside

2. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Howard “Mac” Dashney
Executive Director
MAPT
(T)
(F)

3. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
What is happening today?
Nationally
440,000 school buses transporting
23,500,000 students a total of
47,000,000 daily rides
Michigan
18,000 school buses transporting
860,000 students a total of
1,720,000 daily rides

4. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
What can be expected this year?
Nationally
7.9 Billion rides covering
4.3 Billion miles
Michigan
309,600,000 annual rides covering
167,184,000 miles

5. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Fatalities 1990 – 2000*
1,450 School bus-related fatalities
969 (67%) Occupants of other vehicles
35 (2%) Other non-occupants
322 (22%) Outside school bus
74 (5%) Struck by other vehicles
248 (17%) Struck by school bus
124 (9%) Inside school bus
90 (6%) School bus passengers
34 (2%) School bus drivers
School bus occupants vs School bus pedestrians
446 inside and outside school bus
322 (72%) outside of school bus
124 (27%) inside of school bus
*DOT, NHTSA, NCS&A, “Traffic Safety Facts 2000: School Buses,”

6. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Probabilities – Chances of Fatal Injuries
Nationally
3.6 Times more likely to be fatally injured while walking to/from school bus than while riding inside a school bus.
1/250,000,000 chance outside bus
1/700,000,000 chance inside bus
Michigan
No fatality inside a bus since Spring 1989.
Annually average 3 fatalities outside school bus.
1/100,000,000 chance outside bus

7. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Why should you expect this performance?
Size
Mass
Design

8. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Size
Width – 96” (8 feet)
Length – 16’ to 40’
Height – 9’ to 10’6”
Ground clearance 24” to body panel
Ground clearance 12” to entrance door
Ground to floor 44” (3’8”)
Ground to seat cushion 63” (5’3”)
Seat back height 24” – 27”
Inside aisle width 12”
Passenger capacity 11 – 90

9. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Mass
10,000 lbs (5 tons) to 40,000 lbs (20 tons)
Comparison of vehicles
Car Van Truck
5’ wide 6’ wide 8’ wide
12’ long 16’ long 20-65’ long
3,200 lbs 4,800 lbs 7, ,000 lbs
5’ high 7’ high 13’ high
91% RV 4% RV 1.4% RV

10. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Design
Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) specific for school buses
FMVSS #111 Rearview Mirrors
FMVSS #121 Air Brake System ABS
FMVSS #131 School Bus Pedestrian Safety Device
FMVSS #210 Seat Belt Assembly Anchorages
FMVSS #213 Child Restraint Systems
FMVSS #217 Bus Emergency Exits, Window Retention, and Release
FMVSS #220 School Bus Rollover Protection
FMVSS #221 School Bus Body Joint Strength
FMVSS #222 School Bus Seating & Crash Protection
FMVSS #301 Fuel System Integrity
FMVSS #302 Flammability of Interior Materials

11. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Design
Features
Alternating Overhead Red Flashing Lights (4 light and 8 light systems)
Stop arms, lighted 8 sided signs - STOP
Crossing bars, 6-8’ bar for peds to/from bus
Single right front entrance door
Emergency exits – rear/side doors, side and rear window exits, roof hatches
Fuel tank caged and baffled and honey combed
Emergency Equipment – First Aid Kit, Flares, Fire Extinguisher, & Reflective Triangles

12. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Our Worst Nightmare!
Erie Township
Truck hauling 120,000 lbs of steel hits bus carrying 61 children and adults

13. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Third of four school buses turning left pulls in front of steeling hauling truck going straight at this intersection.

14. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Safety Standards and Features prevent fatalities
48 passengers injured

15. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Truck crashes into driver’s side at the rear axle.
Penetrates 2-4’ into school bus.
Body joint, roof strength, seat compartmentalization protects passengers.
Bus & Truck respond as designed

16. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Child at point of impact ejected due to side emergency door opening & tearing body – survives!
Occupants’ compartment withstands penetration by truck
Bodies of bus & truck separate to reduce force of impact and penetration.

17. School Bus Safety Inside & Outside
Summary
High Profile Vehicle
Frequency & Risk
Size, Mass, & Design
Low Probability Catastrophic Events
Focus on problem – 3.6 times more dangerous outside than inside bus
Random operation vs planned sequence