1. Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle
Instructor Notes: The thrust of this refresher is to get drivers and attendants – that’s two sets of eyes instead of one – to become critical observers in the loading zone. The title says “solving” because we want to get drivers to begin to think of the loading zone as a puzzle that they will solve everyday by being aware of what could go wrong and by practicing critical reflection.
When it is time for the Refresher to start, call their attention back from the Loading Zone Word Search and let them know that you will be giving them the answer in just a few minutes.
Group Activities: Make sure everyone has something to write with. Pass out the Loading Zone Word Search as they enter the room and encourage them to start working on it.
Notes Pages: The “notes pages” in .pdf format and in the manual have graphic overlays reduced in size for easier reading of text on pages 6 and
Printed overheads: Some of the bulleted lists are animated in the file for computer generation. You can substitute progressive disclosure for that effect.
These “Notes Pages” are not meant as a script, but to provide the intended background material for you to put into your own words and share through the lens of your own experience. The Background material in the PDS manual includes more detail on some of these topics.
Caution!
When using the case study method be sure to stress that the cases are used for critical thinking purposes only.  There is no determination of guilt or preventability, only identification of possibilities.  In that vein, the inclusion of these cases in this curriculum does not represent an opinion of the NYS Education Department.
New York State Education Department Driver and Attendant Refresher
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

2. Danger Zone What can go wrong here?
Instructor Notes: Open up the floor for discussion and suggestions of what are some of the types of incidents that happen in the Danger Zone.
Be sure that the following are mentioned:
Child crosses too close to bus
Child drops something under bus
Child exits and then returns to bus
Snagging and dragging
Passing motorist right/left
Off tracking on turn
Siblings at bus stop
Horseplay at side of bus
Sexual predators
Printed overheads: If you want to enhance this slide from the computer generated design, you can write some of the driver and attendants’ comments on the slide with an erasable marker as drivers and monitors provide ideas.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

3. Loading Zone Word Search
Instructor Notes: The solution will not come on until the second click. Before you do that see how folks did with the game.
Go through the list of words and phrases and see if each answer was found by at least one person.
Ask if anyone found the message hidden in the puzzle before you uncover it.
Click again and uncover the message. It is the circled letters at the top of the solution: School Bus Safety is One Bus Stop at a Time. Remind them that this fundamental idea is the foundation of safe loading zones.
Printed overheads: Follow first two steps before you put up the answer overhead.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

4. Objectives Understand loading zone dangers
Understand historical and recent trends
Know loading zone law
Understand lessons in recent school bus loading zone fatal accidents
Become a critical loading zone observer
Instructor Notes: Explain that these are the ideas that we are going to cover today.
Let them observe that there was already been an activity to get them thinking about loading zone dangers.
Explain that you will review loading zone laws through another activity.
You will examine recent NYS and national trends which might be surprising.
Using a case study method, you will all be analyzing four types of loading zone accidents and that everyone will have a chance to participate in this discussion.
Finally, drivers and attendants will review the tools, some of which they have just used in their analysis, necessary to observe and plan for loading zone dangers.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

5. What’s the Law? 15 feet 10 feet 50 feet $250/1 yr 1’, 6’, 12’
All your $
300 feet
Use of reds
Driver/Police
Activate ambers (recommended)
Use reds behind bus w/reds
Can wave through reds
Create personal liability
Don’t move the bus until
Minimum fine first offense PM
In front of bus in vision of driver
Whenever loading or unloading
Cone placement right rear wheel
Instructor Notes: Use this exercise to review New York State Loading Zone laws, regulations, and recommendations. Ask drivers and attendants to match each item in the left column with the appropriate one in the right column.
Have class identify the answer to the first item “15 feet.” Click once and the answer to that one will be covered. Continue down the list until all have been answered. The next click will uncover all the answers before you go forward in case there are any questions.
15 foot rule (VT 1174b) The driver of the school bus shall keep such bus halted with red signal lights flashing until such passengers are at least fifteen feet from the bus and either off the highway, street or private road, or on a sidewalk.
10 foot rule 8 NYCRR (156.3 d4) The driver of a school bus, when discharging pupils who must cross the highway, shall instruct such pupils to cross the highway at a distance of 10 feet in front of the vehicle so as to be in the vision of the driver. (“Shall instruct” has been interpreted to mean every day.)
50 foot rule (VT a) The driver…shall keep such red signal lamps lighted…whenever he has stopped within 50 feet to the rear of a vehicle with such signal lamps lighted.
$250 (VT1174c) Every person convicted (of passing a stopped school bus) shall: for a first conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of not less than 250 dollars.
1, 6, 12 feet These are the distances away from the right rear wheel that cones are placed in the FMVSS mirror testing procedure.
All Your Money This is what a driver or attendant risks when they move a pickup location for a bus stop. Anything that goes beyond established policy and protocol creates personal liability.
300 feet Not a regulation, but NYSED recommends that drivers activate their amber lights approximately 300 feet from the bus stop.
Use of yellow and red loading lights (8 NYCRR (156.3 d4) The driver shall also keep such school bus halted with red signal lights flashing until such pupils have reached the opposite side of the highway. (VT a) The driver…shall keep such red signal lamps lighted whenever passengers are being received or discharged…and shall light all other required signal lamps, as a warning prior to stopping.
Driver and Police The only people allowed by law to wave motorists through the reds are the school bus driver or law enforcement. This is not recommended practice.
Printed overheads: Use an erasable marker to draw lines between the columns.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

6. NYS School Bus Fatalities
Instructor Notes: Use this slide to demonstrate the safety improvement that New York State school bus drivers and attendants have accomplished. It is interesting to note that the “new” Basic 20-hour course was introduced and required in 1977 and the “newer” 30 hour course was introduced in 1998.
The columns represent the average number of fatalities per year for each of the periods identified. There were 67 fatalities in the first period, 38 in the second, and 6 in the third.
The second click will bring up the reminder of the the amazing 5 year 5 month period that New York State went without a student school bus fatality.
Printed overheads: There are two slides included in the print version. The second slide is an overlay for the first.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

7. January 1999 to May 2004 Fatality Free
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

8. NYS Passing Motorist
Instructor Notes: Our improvements in By-Own-Bus accidents coupled with recent increases in Passing Motorist incidents has turned a trend upside down. Of the 106 student fatalities in NYS through 1998, 22% were killed by passing motorists. Of the six subsequent fatalities, 4, or 67% have been passing motorist incidents. While this is a small sample, it does suggest that motorists might be getting more uncontrolled and we need to focus harder on their dangers.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

9. Loading Zone History - US
Instructor Notes: The Kansas Department of Transportation started a national loading zone survey that subsequently passed to the Kansas Department of Education where it continues to be conducted every year. This graph identifies, on average, how many children were killed each year in loading zone accidents each year during each decade. The actual annual numbers are 55.5, 30.8, 20.6, and
Just as New York has made great improvements over the years, so has the rest of the country. On an historical note, all the states were offered substantial funds to develop driver training programs starting in 1974 and The model curriculum that the feds disseminated was the Basis for our 20-hour Basic and 10-hour Advanced courses in the late 1970’s and their model instructor training program was the basis for our SBDI course.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

10. Loading Zone History - US
Instructor Notes: Again, another surprising trend. A look at the national statistics for the past four reported years identifies a change in the location of children who are killed by their own school bus. While the numbers from 1970 to 2002 show an average of 32.7% (208 of 636) of all BOB fatalities killed at the rear wheels of the bus, the last four years the percentage killed at the back of the bus is 63% (17 of 27). Again, this is only a look at four years but it does appear to be a substantial shift.
One of the reasons for this is that traditional front of the bus fatalities have gone down so rear wheel incidents are more noticeable, however their prominence suggests a closer look at them in our training program.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

11. Tools SBSIOBSAAT - Tips Kansas Survey NYS Crossing Poster
Universal Crossing Procedure
NYS Laws & Regs
Critical Reflection
Instructor Notes: This slide is an opportunity to remind drivers and attendants about Universal Crossing procedures and point them to some useful tools and more information for those who want to do some investigation. The key item here is the last one, critical reflection, because that is what we are going to ask them to do in the following case studies.
SBSIOBSAAT – Loading Zone Tips is on your PDS CD as well as in hard copy in the manual.
Kansas Survey is available online at
CRITICAL REFLECTION is the focus of today’s refresher – using all the tools listed, all the training drivers and attendants have received, and all of the experience they have as New York State’s finest.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

12. Four Case Studies Mallory Eddy May 2004 Chana Friedlander June 2006
Markus Smith November 2006
Rear Wheel Fatals , 2005 (US)
Instructor Notes: This slide introduces the four cases that the class will be examining.
Take a minute to mention that groups with case study #4 have a little different task because they have 4 mini-summaries from the Kansas Report instead of a single incident. Let them know that they should be comfortable making both generalizations and specific comments about rear wheel incidents.
Group Activity: Pass out the randomly shuffled worksheets for the four cases and ask drivers and attendants to get into groups of 5-8 with other folks who have the same case. The next slide has the questions they will be answering on it and you leave that up while they are working on the worksheets.
Have each person take 5 minutes to read the summary and answer the worksheet questions by themselves and them have the groups get together and share their ideas by going though the questions together for another 5 minutes. Be sure each group has a scribe and a spokesperson so they can collect their thoughts and share them with the larger group.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

13. Think about it… Describe the characteristics of each party
What circumstances created the risk?
How did the bus driver actions contribute?
How did the student’s actions contribute?
How did the PM actions contribute?
What was the last straw?
What might have prevented the event?
Instructor Notes: Leave this slide up while they are working. These are the questions that they have on their case study handouts.
Be aware that we don’t want to start a “driver bashing” session. The information that we are reviewing is from newspaper accounts and could well have incorrect information included. You also want to stress that this critical analysis looks for the slightest clue, not to place blame, but to engage the minds of those doing the analysis so that they will become critical observers every day as they are on their routes.
Encourage questions that begin, “Well what if the driver did this…?” or “I wonder if the attendant did that?” do “Do you think the student knew this?” This hypothesizing is not done to place blame or assume omniscience, but to play out different possibilities that could provide useful insights into loading zones as a global concept.
FOR THE NEXT 4 SLIDES
Instructor Notes: Each case has it’s own slide. When you first go to the slide you will only see the name at the top & a photo of the scene. Stay there until the groups have had a chance to respond. After the groups have finished their responses, click again & the list of issues will be revealed & the photo disappears (The photos have been reduced for the notes pages to see the text). Quickly cover any issues that weren’t raised by the groups’ sharing. For topics that they mentioned that are on the slide, give them a verbal pat on the back.
Group Activities: Ask for a group to volunteer their ideas about the case. After they have shared ask other groups who looked at that case to share any ADDITIONAL ideas they had. Be sure that there is no repetition – only new ideas.
If you are teaching a very large refresher be sure to move around the room during the discussion time as well as during the response time to keep folks on task and feeling involved. Be sure to take comments from groups all around the room. One way to include everyone in a large group is to ask if one side of the room agrees with a comment from the other side. Anything that makes people realize they need to stay attentive because they might be asked to respond at any moment.
Printed overheads: For the next four slides designed for computer projection, there are 8 slides. For each case, the first slide includes the title and a photo and the second slide includes the title and the areas of concern to be reviewed after the groups have shared their observations.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

14. 1. Mallory Eddy
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

15. 1. Mallory Eddy Right side passing = 5% Teen driver – 16 year old car
Mirrors checked as she exits bus?
Bennet on shoulder for at least 2-3 sec.
Mallory trained to “check before she steps”?
Plans made for runaway vehicle on hill?
Automatic doors can’t be “cracked”
After the groups share:
Right side passing = 5% Five percent (1 in 20) of all passes are on the right side of the bus.
Teen driver – 16 year old car The driver and car certainly do not inspire confidence.
Mirrors checked as Mallory exits bus? Did the driver continuously check his mirrors as he was negotiating the stop?
Bennet on shoulder for at least 2-3 sec. If Bennet passed two cars and a bus on the shoulder at 30 mph, he was visible on the shoulder for 2-3 seconds.
Mallory trained to “check before she steps”? Was Mallory trained in the procedure outlined in the first frame of the How to Cross Safely poster, “Check Before You Step”? If she had, would she have seen the driver on the shoulder?
Plans made for runaway vehicle on hill? Because this bus stop was at the bottom of the hill, the danger of a runaway vehicle should have been a part of the planning for this stop. We don’t know if such plans were made or not.
Automatic doors can’t be “cracked” The disadvantage of new automatic doors is that they open fully immediately. Drivers should make sure they have a strategy for keeping children on the bus until all traffic has stopped.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

16. 2. Chana Friedlander
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

17. 2. Chana Friedlander Use reds in every loading zone
Cars will squeeze through anywhere
Youngest children must be trained
What are urban driving challenges?
Crossers first
How do you control rear passers?
After the groups share:
Use reds in every loading zone It wasn’t clear if the driver had used their reds. They might have thought that there was not enough space for a car to pass so it wasn’t necessary.
Cars will squeeze through anywhere
Youngest children must be trained This child was only six-years-old and we know that the youngest children are most at risk for loading zone incidents. We don’t know if she had received safety training in Kindergarten or not.
What are urban driving challenges? Urban driving presents real challenges, but shortcutting procedures cannot be tolerated. New York City laws are now no different than the rest of the state. If a street isn’t safe to cross, the driver and attendant should bring their concerns to a supervisor to have the stop changed to a right side stop.
Crossers first If there is a mix of crossers and non-crossers at a stop, the crossers should cross and load first because waiting motorists willingness to wait might lessen as their stopping time increases.
How do you control rear passers? Rear passers are hard to see, especially in a crowded urban environment. Drivers and attendants should determine where the most likely location of passing motorists might be at each stop so they can focus their attention most effectively.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

18. 3. Markus Smith
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

19. 3. Markus Smith
Always be aware of warnings from passengers and motorists
Count children before leaving stop
Youngest children least predictable
Ran back right towards driver – off-tracking
Last thing to check as bus leaves stop?
Attendant role in loading zone safety?
After the groups share:
Always be aware of warnings from passengers and motorists This story is all too familiar – motorists or other bus drivers trying to warn the driver that they are about to run over a pedestrian. Drivers should always pay attention to warnings from motorists, pedestrians, or students on the bus. They might see something that the driver and attendant don’t see and a tragedy can be prevented.
Count children before leaving stop The bus driver and attendant should always count the children before they leave the stop. If 8 children are unloaded, then 8 children should be visible on the proper sides of the street before the bus moves.
Youngest children least predictable See previous slide
Student ran back right towards driver If he was struck by the front left wheel, he had to have run right back towards the driver. Is that a location that the mirrors cover? Does the mirror appear to be positioned properly? Is that a location drivers and attendants would expect a child to be? Did he bus appear to “move towards” Markus as a result of the left turn off-tracking?
Last thing to check as bus leaves stop? This is the ultimate question – each accident suggests a different “last check” location.
Attendant role in loading zone safety? If there is an attendant on the bus, how can he or she best plan with and communicate about loading zone dangers with the driver?
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

20. 4. Rear Bus Wheels After the groups share:
Running back to the bus, Slipping under the bus, Climbing under bus for dropped object The first three items represent different ways children can get close to the bus. How can bus drivers and attendants remain aware of children displaying these behaviors?
Dragging caught in bus door Since handrails have been redesigned and retrofitted, objects are not as likely to get stuck there but automatic doors create a new challenge. Drivers who push a button to close the door without actually looking at the door can actually catch children who are lingering as they get off the bus right in the door. They are also not doing a final check in their right side mirror because the child would be visible in that view as well. If they can’t hear screams over the engine as the bus accelerates the child eventually will drop from the bus and is often run over.
15 foot rule clearance In New York state our law that requires the bus to remain stopped until all children are 15’ away from the bus should prevent this.
Off-tracking Rear wheel accidents can happen as children approach the rear of a bus turning either right or left because the back of the bus tracks closer than the front.
Properly adjusted mirrors Mirrors must be properly adjusted to see along both sides of the bus and they must be used for real seeing, not just looking that assumes the image without really examining the mirror.
Rock before you roll We preach rock before you roll at intersections but blind spots can be just as much of a hazard as the bus pulls away from a bus stop. Drivers and attendants must be actively observing as the bus pulls away and this might involve some movement.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

21. 4. Rear Bus Wheels Running back to the bus Slipping under the bus
Climbing under bus for dropped object
Dragging caught in bus door
15 foot rule clearance
Off-tracking
Properly adjusted mirrors
Rock before you roll
After the groups share:
Running back to the bus, Slipping under the bus, Climbing under bus for dropped object The first three items represent different ways children can get close to the bus. How can bus drivers and attendants remain aware of children displaying these behaviors?
Dragging caught in bus door Since handrails have been redesigned and retrofitted, objects are not as likely to get stuck there but automatic doors create a new challenge. Drivers who push a button to close the door without actually looking at the door can actually catch children who are lingering as they get off the bus right in the door. They are also not doing a final check in their right side mirror because the child would be visible in that view as well. If they can’t hear screams over the engine as the bus accelerates the child eventually will drop from the bus and is often run over.
15 foot rule clearance In New York state our law that requires the bus to remain stopped until all children are 15’ away from the bus should prevent this.
Off-tracking Rear wheel accidents can happen as children approach the rear of a bus turning either right or left because the back of the bus tracks closer than the front.
Properly adjusted mirrors Mirrors must be properly adjusted to see along both sides of the bus and they must be used for real seeing, not just looking that assumes the image without really examining the mirror.
Rock before you roll We preach rock before you roll at intersections but blind spots can be just as much of a hazard as the bus pulls away from a bus stop. Drivers and attendants must be actively observing as the bus pulls away and this might involve some movement.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

22. Become a Critical Observer
View obstructions/visibility at bus stop approach
Mix of crossers and non-crossers
High speed, heavy traffic
Big trucks/buses
Hills or curves in either direction
Instructor Notes: This is the last step in the process. Explain that the point of the case studies was to get them thinking critically. The next two slides are the kinds of situation that require special planning by the bus driver and attendant and may require consultation with a safety director as well. Depending on the amount of time you have left you can move through this list quickly or take your time and provide some local examples of each.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

23. Become a Critical Observer
Frequent PM
Intersection dangers
Non-student pedestrians at stop
Construction or other temporary danger
Report and plan w/supervisor
Instructor Notes: The real key to stress is that as drivers and attendants become critical bus stop observers they DO NOT begin to make changes in their bus stops without involving management. If a bus stop needs to be changed, they should make it official and get it in the system. Otherwise, even if it was a great idea, they could be creating personal liability.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

24. Combined Learning Keep up the good work on BOB Raise awareness of PM
Know the laws
Watch for children alongside your bus
Be aware of right- side passers
Be critical!
Instructor Notes: These subjects summarize what we have reviewed through these cases.
Thank your class for their work on examining these cases and for their involvement in the group process.
Explain how their work helped others to understand and how everyone’s input was valuable.
Congratulate drivers and attendants on their successful reduction of loading zone fatalities.
Encourage them to be critical every day and to involve their supervisors in the conversation.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle

25. Together we can make every stop a safe one
Remember…
SBSIOBSAAT
Students get on or off a school bus in the United States 20,000,000,000 times a year.
Together we can make every stop a safe one
Instructor Notes: Thank them again for their attention and hard work.
NYSED Refresher Solving the Loading Zone Puzzle