Providing Safe Transportation for Children
By: Kent Tyler
A school must have a safe and cost-effective way to transport their students. Bus manufacturers have done a tremendous job of building safe small buses that are easy to drive. When full of teenagers, these buses handle well and provide ample leg room and storage space.
All too often schools think they are doing the right thing by buying a bus to replace a non-conforming van, but, in reality, the bus they're buying may not be certified and could put the school at risk from a liability standpoint. A school bus offers one of the most economical and safest methods of transportation to and from school.
What's A "Certified" Bus?
A certified bus, or Allowable Alternate Vehicle, must meet numerous mandated Federal Safety Standards. These include standards unique to school buses, including Rollover Protection, Body Joint Strength, Passenger Seating and Crash Protection, and Pedestrian Safety Devices.
In addition, they must have multiple horizontal and vertical steel beams welded together in such a manner that essentially wraps the occupants in a cage of steel. The inside and outside of the bus is further reinforced by thick sheets of steel, which is substantially different than many fiberglass buses used in shuttle and commercial bus applications.
A certified bus is generally heavier than a comparable sized passenger vehicle and has exit doors, superior roof structure, an interior aisle, significant interior padding and a lower center of gravity.
Is a Certified Bus That Different?
It's important to remember that certified buses are encased in a steel cage, providing the ultimate structural strength in the case of accident, representing one of the safest forms of transportation in the world. The choice of vehicle types can be a life and death decision in the case of a serious accident.
In addition, the liability issue of safety should not be relegated to a lower level administrator; this purchasing decision needs a much higher priority and understanding. With the constant challenge of constrained budgets, we must apply the best of our ability to address the transportation needs of our schools.
Church Schools Understand the Issues
Some churches have already made the commitment and moved from the passenger vehicle mode to the smaller school bus. In some larger church schools, the full-size school bus is the preference, and some schools are transitioning with planned replacement purchases based on their capital budgets and fund availability.
There is a notable shift in the business toward making a change, however, because of a growing recognition and understanding of these federal mandates, social and moral responsibilities, and the financial liability issue.
"Federal law requires that students be transported only in vehicles that have been certified to comply with federal safety standards for school buses," said Nick England, president of Lasseter Bus & Mobility in Dallas , Texas . "This puts churches with schools in a situation where they could potentially find themselves in violation of that regulation by transporting children for school-related activities in a non-compliant bus. Especially in these instances, the safest and most prudent choice is to operate compliant MFSABs that can transport the youth, whether for school or church activities."
Insurance companies have also begun to take notice and form alliances with bus manufacturers to offer education and preferred rates to their policyholders. Many insurance companies won't insure vehicles that don't meet certain FMVSS regulations.
Where Do You Go?
Always provide your drivers with proper training and always make sure the bus you are purchasing meets all the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS).
Any school that is contemplating a purchasing decision should contact their local distributor and ask for a demonstration of the product.
Schools should always do everything they possibly can to make sure they are providing the safest form of transportation to their children possible.
Kent Tyler is the president of Collins Industries, www.collinsind.com .
