School Bus Safety Inside & Outside

1. School Bus SafetyInside & Outside

2. School Bus SafetyInside & Outside Howard “Mac” Dashney Executive Director MAPT 517.886.0881 (T) 517.886.0882 (F) mdashney@mapt.org

3. School Bus SafetyInside & 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 SafetyInside & 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 SafetyInside & 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 SafetyInside & 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 SafetyInside & Outside Why should you expect this performance? • Size • Mass • Design

8. School Bus SafetyInside & 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 SafetyInside & Outside • Mass • 10,000 lbs (5 tons) to 40,000 lbs (20 tons) • Comparison of vehicles CarVanTruck 5’ wide 6’ wide 8’ wide 12’ long 16’ long 20-65’ long 3,200 lbs 4,800 lbs 7,500-120,000 lbs 5’ high 7’ high 13’ high 91% RV 4% RV 1.4% RV

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

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

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

15. School Bus SafetyInside & 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 SafetyInside & 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 SafetyInside & Outside Summary • High Profile Vehicle • Frequency & Opportunity @ 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