Inquiry 3: School Bus Student

Behavior
Michael McKenzie
UALR STEM Methods
February 28, 2017
School Bus Student Behavior
Why Im interested?
Im a school bus driver
Im a parent of 2 students who ride a school bus
Arkansas HB 1002
Continuing debate
School Buses What you need
to know
School buses are the SAFEST means of transportation
School buses transport approximately 25,000,000
students annually
School buses log almost 4,000,000,000 mile annually
On average 6 school age (<18 yrs) passengers die
annually in school bus accidents
Students are about 70 times more likely to arrive at
school alive on a school bus than by personal vehicle
or riding with a friend
All school buses with a GVWR of <10,000 lbs are
already required to be equipped with seat belts
Pros and Cons - School Bus Seat Belts
Pros:
Reduces probability of death
and severity of injury in an
accident
Improves passenger
behavior
Reduces bullying on the bus
Reduces driver
distraction
Added safety protection in
roll-over and side impact
accidents
Reinforces good safety habits
Seat belts cost is nominal
Cons:
No real value in majority of fatal
accidents
More students are killed around
buses than inside
Lack of data to support a reduction
in deaths
Good existing safety features
(bus weight, seat
compartmentalization, etc.)
Many students will not wear seat
belts, or wear incorrectly
Seat belt used as weapon
Funding
In real emergency students might
be disoriented, and become
trapped by belt
School Bus Safety
Features
BIG and YELLOW
Stop indicators
Crossing arm
Bus weight
Increased frame and
body support
6 External mirrors
Reinforced fuel tank
compartment
School Bus Safety
Features
Rounded top with no
sharp edges
Small windows
Emergency exits
Raised floor above
typical impact zone
Seat
compartmentalizatio
n
Seat
Compartmentalization
Increased height of
seat back (2008)
Added padding
Energy absorbing
seat backs
Closely spaced
Horizontal impact
rail located at
shoulder
Seat anchored to
floor
Seating
Proper seating position
Facing toward front of the bus
Legs/Feet in front of student
Butt in seat
Improper seating
Turned around
Leaning into aisle
Sits on floor
Stands up
Changes seats
School Bus Driver
Primary goal is to transport students safely to
and from school
Exterior environment is first concern
Bad student behavior distracts driver from
primary goal
Limited to occasional glance into rear view
mirror to monitor student behavior
Sets and maintains student passenger
behavior expectations
Method
Watched first 5 minutes of video for afternoon routes from March 2, 2017
10 buses were chosen
1 elementary only
1 elementary and middle school
3 middle school only
1 middle and high school
2 high school only
2 elementary, middle, and high school
Documented when student passengers:
Stood up
Leaned into aisle
Changed seats
Sat in the floor
Turned around
Documented when school bus driver became distracted by student
behavior and addressed issues
Method
Data
Used bus roster less 15% to determine the
number of passengers on each bus
37-81 student passengers per bus
641 total student passengers
Observed student behavior:
42, or 7%, leaning into aisle
13 stood up
11 turned around in seat
1 student sat on knees turned around all 5 minutes
4 sat on floor
2 changed seats
Data
72 Total number of improper seating
violations observed
12% of student passengers
Mostly middle and high school students
3 Occasions where bus driver became
distracted enough to address student
behavior
1 Driver addressing behavior other than
seating
Data
Issues and Problems
Number of student passengers
Some limitations to visibility for all student
behavior
Variables to student behavior
Driver
Time of year
Time of day
Length of route
Age group
Conclusion
Middle and High school students exhibit the
majority of improper student seating behavior
Each bus exhibited different behaviors
Bus driver is largest variable
1 school bus (middle & high school) had no observed
seating violations
Study lends support for proponents of school bus
seat belts
Seat belts would improve student behavior
Seat belts would reduce driver distractions
More research is needed
References
American School Bus Council. (2016). American school bus council urges parents to
choose the safest form of transportation this school year. Retrieved from
http://www.americanschoolbuscouncil.org/news-media/press-releases-and-
newsletters/american-school-bus-council-urges-parents-to-choose-the-safest-form-of-
transportation-this-school-year
Lousiana Department of Education. (2016). Response to senate resolution 122 of the
2016 regular session. Retrieved from
http://files.constantcontact.com/0e2b0e97001/abcf2423-11e8-4a1d-9b77-
fd602d28e2c4.pdf
Maciag, M. (2016, February 23). Despite lack of seat belts, school bus fatalities are
rare. Retrieved from http://www.governing.com/topics/public-justice-safety/gov-school-
bus-accidents-fatalities-statistics.html
McElroy, M. (2017, January 31). House Bill 1002. Retrieved from
http://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/assembly/2017/2017R/Bills/HB1002.pdf
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2017). School Buses. Retrieved from
https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-buses
National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. (2016). School-Transportation-
Related Crashes. Retrieved from
https://crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/812272
Questions & Comments