As the first member of school personnel that many children see in the morning and the last one they may see at the end of the day, bus drivers play an important role in students’ lives as they have the potential to set the tone for the day.
That’s according Triton’s Corporation Secretary and Transportation Director Mindy Klotz. At Monday night’s school board meeting, Klotz shared some important info about bus safety and the corporation’s bus drivers, who she referred to as unsung heroes.
She told school board members that a lot goes into becoming a school bus driver; individuals need a commercial driver’s license (CDL) physical that must be renewed every two years, they have to take written tests for their CDL permit, attend 20 hours of classroom training, conduct 12 hours of observation and driving and pass a driving skills test. She said drivers also have to complete at least 3 hours of classroom training annually and conduct evacuation training twice a year.
When it comes to school bus safety, Klotz shared that on average, a bus equal 36 cars so they help reduce traffic around school zones.
She added that students are 70 times more likely to get to school safely when taking a school bus instead of traveling by car. She cited the nationwide annual traffic fatalities that reveal that 58 percent of fatalities are teen drivers, 23 percent are adult drivers, 18 percent are caused by mechanical failure and other factors and only 1 percent of fatalities are the cause of buses.
In information provided by Klotz, she mentioned that buses are the most regulated vehicles on the road and they’re designed to be safer than passenger vehicles.
Klotz shared that large school buses are heavier and distribute crash forces differently than passenger cars meaning that bus passengers experience much less crash force than those in smaller vehicles. She said children are protected from crashes by strong, closely-spaced seats that have high, energy-absorbing seat backs.
Additionally, Klotz told members that some upcoming training for school bus drivers includes a student management and safety training by an Indiana Department of Education trainer, smoked filled bus evacuation and active shooter training.
