School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15 What Went Wrong at Gray Summit?

School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

What Went Wrongat Gray Summit?

School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

What we know…

• School bus transportation is the safest way for students to get to and from school

• Of school age children killed in crashes during school hours:• 58% in cars driven by teenagers• 23% in cars driven by adults• 1% in school buses

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 2

School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

Close to home…..Washington

• School buses traveled about 100 million miles

• 58 “driver at fault” collisions involving school buses

• School buses .58 vs. 1.35 all vehiclesOSPI, Washington State Patrol, and Washington DOT data 3

School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

Washington 2013 Collisions:• Of 58 “driver at fault” school bus collisions, the

top four causes were:

• 19 failure to yield• 11 driver inattention• 4 following too closely• 4 backing

Washington State Patrol

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School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

Fatalities:

• GMC pickup driver killed

• Student passenger killed

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School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

Injuries:

• 35 passengers, both bus drivers and the Volvo tractor driver all injured

• 18 passengers were uninjured

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School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

Probable Causes• First collision: GMC driver texting

• Second collision: lead school bus driver’s inattention and excessive focus on motor coach

• Third collision: driver’s following distance from the lead bus

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School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

What did we learn?

Top three safety issues according to NTSB:1. Driver distraction due to portable

electronic device

2. Inadequate focus on forward roadway

3. Inadequate following distance

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School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

Summary

• Transportation is safest mode of travel for students to and from school.

• Three contributing factors identified by the National Transportation Safety Board.

• Scanning the external environment is important.

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School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

Evaluation

1. What is the safest mode of transportation for students to and from school?

School bus transportation

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School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

Evaluation

2. List three contributing factors to the Gray Summit, MO collision.

Driver distraction/textingInadequate scanning forward roadwayInadequate following distance

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School Bus Driver Inservice 2014-15

Evaluation

3. Why is proper scanning/glancing behavior important?

Avoid fixation on objects, scanning whole environment

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