Shortcode Cleaner
As kids head back to school, now is a perfect time to ask yourself: How safe are school buses and what role can we play in ensuring safe transportation? What happens in the case of an accident? Fortunately, less than 1% of all traffic fatalities involve children on school transportation vehicles, however more risk is involved while loading/unloading the vehicle. So, although school buses are the most regulated vehicles on the road and are designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in preventing crashes and injuries, rules and regulations must be followed to protect our children.
Going back to school comes with an increase in traffic and more children walking across the street, therefore pedestrian safety must be taken into higher consideration during this time. As a parent, it’s important to ensure bus stop safety. According to the NHTSA, several tips are encouraged including arriving at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus arrives, wait at least ten feet away from the curb, and wait until the bus comes to a complete stop and the door opens before getting on or off.
When it comes to transportation safety, the lack of seat belt protection on school buses may raise a point of concern. However, school buses are designed with a different kind of safety restraint system. They are heavier and distribute crash forces differently than cars, helping bus passengers experience less crash force. Furthermore, according to NHTSA, the best way to provide crash protection is through a concept called “compartmentalization”. Through compartmentalization, children are protected during crashes by strong, closely spaced seats that have energy-absorbing seat backs. Other school bus safety precautions include yellow flashing lights to indicate the bus is preparing to stop or load/unload and red flashing lights and extended stop arms to indicate children are getting on or off.
As the new school year begins, it is a great reminder for students, parents, teachers, and the driving community to keep school bus safety a top priority. When it comes to crash investigation, you can rely on the expertise of CED Technologies’ engineers. CED’s Transportation Group is comprised of skilled engineers possessing specialized training in areas such as low impact accidents, airbag deployment, injury assessment, pedestrian knockdowns, biomechanical engineering, operator actions and product defects.
CED's Transportation Group utilizes specialized hardware and technology such as crash analysis software, simulation capabilities, 3D Scanning and Drones. This team of experts is also fully trained and able to download data from Event Data Recorders in various types of vehicles. The Transportation Group has the capabilities to analyze complicated issues such as sight distances, driver perception and reaction time, traffic sequencing, conspicuity at night, Federal Motor Carrier requirements, pedestrian involvement, and environmental factors. Contact us at 203-929-1339 for your next case or claim or submit a request online.
