Transportation Management Software, bus scheduling software, school bus scheduling software, school bus management software
In general, school buses are statistically the safest form of transportation on the road - but there are still many risks. One of the biggest is the problem of visibility. Even the best-built bus will have significant blind spots, and drives must be able to adapt to vision challenges.
Here are some tips for maintaining student safety, even when the driver's vision is compromised.
1 - Install blind spot cameras
Blind spot cameras do cost money to install, but their addition will substantially reduce the risk of the bus hitting cars or pedestrians which slip into blind spots. These cameras are becoming commonplace on other kinds of vehicles, and they really should be common on buses as well.
2 - Conduct regular retraining
Drivers should receive regular reminders about blind spots, and be quizzed or retrained on where they are. Keep the matter in their minds, even if the material seems repetitive. They should always be thinking about visibility.
3 - Teach students about blind spots
Student bus riders should be drilled on the basic fact that if they cannot see the driver, the driver cannot see them. Even young students can be taught where the danger zones are, and that they should always be able to see the driver's head when walking around the bus.
4 - Encourage bus safety among the public
Look into outreach options, such as mailing out fliers, or putting PSAs onto cheap local TV/radio stations. Help the public understand the limitations on bus drivers' visibility and ability to stop quickly when in motion. If the public knows to keep out of a bus's blind spot, the risk of collisions will go way down.
5 - Empower drivers to respond to weather conditions
Blind spots aren't the only potential visibility problem. If a bus is doing its route, but suddenly gets hit with a blinding snowstorm or pea-soup fog, is your driver allowed to pull over based on their own judgment? If not, they probably should. An hour's delay now and then is far better than risking a collision in low-visibility situations.
BusBoss wants to help ensure student safety on your buses! We offer software and hardware options for improving your routes, tracking buses and students, notifying parents of important messages, and more!
Contact us to learn more about how BusBoss can improve your transportation system.
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