Expert Issues First State-by-State Report on School Bus Safety
1 September 1998
Expert Issues First State-by-State Report Card on School Bus Safety SPRINGFIELD, Mo., Sept. 1 -- As schools open around the
country, the first ever state-by-state Report Card on School Bus Safety in the
U.S. was released today by school bus safety advocate Dr. Cal LeMon to give
parents and educators "a yardstick to measure how their state compares with
others, and a wake up call about the safety implications of possible pupil
transportation funding cuts."
According to Dr. LeMon, the future of a familiar American tradition -- the
big yellow school bus -- is squarely in the crosshairs of the education
funding dilemma in this country. "Budgets are tight and pupil transportation
often is the first thing on the chopping block. As educators strategize on how
to build enough classrooms, buy enough books and computers, and hire enough
teachers, it is critical that they not lose sight of the need to plan for the
safe transportation of the baby boomers' grandchildren."
"School enrollments are expected to increase 33 percent between 1990 and
2030, but the priorities for the safety of our children are all wrong. For
most parents, it's a real eye-opener to learn that the biggest threat to their
children is not guns and violence in schools, but the everyday act of
travelling to and from school. An average of 38 children are killed each year
because of violence at school, but 861 -- more than twenty times that number
-- are killed riding in passenger cars during school hours. Many of the
latter would be alive today if they rode the bus -- yellow school buses are
172 times safer than the family car," LeMon said.
In making available his Report Card on School Bus Safety in the U.S.,
LeMon explained that his goal was not to formally rate states or pick winners
and losers. Instead, he hopes the report will give parents a clear picture of
circumstances in their state so they can be better informed as educational
funding issues are debated and decided, and encourage legislators and school
officials not to compromise pupil transportation safety.
LeMon said parents should keep a close eye on school board decisions
involving pupil transportation. "If your state is cutting its pupil
transportation budget, demand to know why. If funding cuts are delaying the
purchase of new buses or making service so inconvenient for working parents
that it's easier to drive children to school, demand more buses and more
convenient schedules. If your teenagers want to drive to school instead of
taking the bus, understand that doing so would greatly increase their risk of
injury or death."
"We give lip service to how 'our children are our future,' but all of that
is so much sloppy sentimentality unless we ensure their physical safety. The
big yellow school bus is the safest and smartest form of transportation for
our children," he added.
LeMon said that school officials, civic leaders, parents, and others
concerned about congested roads and child safety need to take an objective
look at why school bus ridership is down nationally. "Over the years, we have
inadvertently encouraged the feeling among teenagers and even younger children
that it is 'uncool' to ride in a school bus. Very few high school students
need to drive to school. But when decisions are made to expand the student
parking lot to accommodate more cars, and bus schedules are cut back to the
point that they are inconvenient for those who come in early or stay late for
extracurricular activities, we are giving students plenty of reasons for not
taking the bus. Then, we shake our heads in collective disbelief when a
carload of teens is killed on the way home from school."
He said parents should know these key facts about school buses:
* From 1986 through 1996, an average of only 11 school bus occupants
(including drivers) were killed each year in crashes. Another thirty-five were
killed when they were struck by the bus or another car while getting on or off
the bus. In comparison, more than 5,000 children under age 19 are killed each
year as passengers in all other kinds of motor vehicles.
* Only 54 percent of students in grades K-12 ride in school buses.
Between 1986 and 1996, 9,516 school-age children were killed during school
hours while riding in passenger cars -- virtually all of whom probably would
be alive today had they been in a school bus.
* On average, approximately 4 percent ($493) of the annual cost of
educating a child is spent on pupil transportation.
* Lap belts are not required on school buses in most jurisdictions because
the well-padded, closely-spaced, high-back seats are designed to package
children like eggs, effectively providing "automatic" protection in most
crashes. Because of the delicate physiology of children under age 10, a panel
of international child passenger safety experts just this month voted
unanimously that lap belts in school buses are not advisable.
* The newer the bus, the safer. 1977 was a watershed year for school bus
safety, when most of the important safety features were required. But buses
manufactured after 1992 have even more critical safety equipment, such as
additional emergency exits, better mirrors for the driver to be able to see
around the bus, and swing out stop arms to alert other motorists that children
are getting on or off the bus.
"Before officials make an arbitrary decision that for budgetary reasons
your child should continue riding in an older bus without the latest safety
equipment, many parents may want to weigh in with a contrary opinion," LeMon
said. "All yellow school buses, even the older ones, are safer than cars. But
there are good reasons for the new federally required safety equipment that is
available only in the newest buses, and informed parents will want it for
their child's ride to school.
Statistics and information from the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration (NHTSA) and school bus industry trade journals provided the
basis for LeMon's Report Card. He noted that the overall school bus safety
record in the U.S. "is such a remarkable success story that if all forms of
transportation were as safe we wouldn't need federal agencies to be involved
in transportation safety." Some 440,000 public school buses in the U.S. travel
4.3 billion miles each year carrying 23.5 million children.
Dr. LeMon is a nationally known writer, professional speaker and corporate
trainer who is president of The Executive Edge, located in Springfield,
Missouri. His advocacy for school bus safety is a personal concern -- he
receives no funding for his work on behalf of safe pupil transportation from
any school bus manufacturer, supplier or other business interest. He has
extensively researched pupil transportation in the U.S., spoken at dozens of
national, regional and state school transportation meetings, and is the author
of Unreported Miracles (What You Probably Do Not Know About Your Child's
School Bus).
Copies of Dr. LeMon's Report Card of School Bus Safety in the U.S. are
available on the Internet at http://www.his.com/strata or by calling 800-373-4040.
