School Bus Safety

<a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-18-009">H-18-9 to the States of Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey and New York</a>: Amend your statutes to upgrade the seat belt requirement from lap belts to lap/shoulder belts for all passenger seating positions in new large school buses in accordance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 222.<br/><p></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-18-010">H-18-10 To many States</a>: Enact legislation to require that all new large school buses be equipped with passenger lap/shoulder belts for all passenger seating positions in accordance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 222.</p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-22-025">H-22-25 to the National Association for Pupil Transportation, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services&#160;and the National School Transportation Association</a>: Inform your members of the need to periodically review onboard video event recorder information to ensure that students engage in safe transportation behaviors on school buses, including sitting properly and wearing seat belts, when available, and that the members use this information to improve the bus safety training provided to drivers, students, an​<span id="ms-rterangecursor-start" rtenodeid="1"></span><span id="ms-rterangecursor-end"></span>d parents. Recommendation closed<strong> 11/14/2024</strong><br/></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-13-035">H-13-35 To the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, National Association for Pupil Transportation, National School Transportation Association, School Bus Manufacturers Technical Council, and National Safety Council, School Transportation Section</a>: Develop guidelines and include them in the next update of the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures to assist schools in training bus drivers, students, and parents on the importance and proper use of school bus seat belts, including manual lap belts, adjustable lap and shoulder belts, and flexible seating systems.​​​​​</p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-13-036">H-13-36 To the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, National Association for Pupil Transportation,&#160;and&#160;National School Transportation Association</a>: Provide your members with educational materials on lap and shoulder belts providing the highest level of protection for school bus passengers, and advise states or school districts to consider this added safety benefit when purchasing seat belt-equipped school buses.<br/></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-13-032">H-13-32 to the States of California, Florida, Louisiana, New Jersey, New&#160;York and Texas</a>: Develop: (1) a handout for your school districts to distribute annually to students and parents about the importance of the proper use of all types of passenger seat belts on school buses, including the potential harm of not wearing a seat belt or wearing one but not adjusting it properly; and (2) training procedures for schools to follow during the twice yearly emergency drills to show students how to wear their seat belts properly.​​</p><br/>

<a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-20-015">H-20-15&#160;​to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, National Association for Pupil Transportation, and National School Transportation Association</a>: Inform your members of the circumstances of the Rochester, Indiana; Baldwyn, Mississippi; and Hartsfield, Georgia, crashes, and urge them to minimize the use of school bus stops that require students to cross a roadway (especially a high-speed roadway) and to, at least annually, and also whenever a route hazard is identified, evaluate the safety of their school bus routes and stops. Recommendation closed <strong>11/14/2024</strong><p></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-20-012">H-20-12 to many States</a>​: Enact legislation to permit stop arm cameras on school buses to capture images, and allow citations to be issued for illegal school bus passings based on the camera-obtained information.&#160;</p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-20-011">H-20-11 to National Highway Traffic Sa​fety Administration (NHTSA)</a>: Enact legislation to permit stop arm cameras on school buses to capture images, and allow citations to be issued for illegal school bus passings based on the camera-obtained information.&#160;<br/></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-20-016">H-20-16 to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, National Association for Pupil Transportation, and National School Transportation Association</a>: Remind your members to ensure that school transportation directors and others involved in evaluating school bus routes and stops complete training on how to assess the safety of school bus routes and stops, according to best industry practices.<br/></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-20-018">H-20-18 to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, National Association for Pupil Transportation, and National School Transportation Association</a>: Urge your members to continue to coordinate with local law enforcement agencies to conduct educational and enforcement activities aimed at reducing illegal school bus passings. Recommendation closed <strong>11/14/2024</strong><br/></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-20-019">H-20-19 to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, National Sherifs A​​ssociation, and National Association of School Resources Officers</a>: Inform your members of the fatal Rochester, Indiana; Baldwyn, Mississippi; and Hartsfield, Georgia, crashes, and encourage them to continue to work with local school districts to conduct educational and enforcement activities to reduce illegal school bus passings.<br/></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-20-017">​H-20-17 to the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, National Association for Pupil Transportation, and National School Transportation Association</a>​: Advise your members to train their school bus drivers and students on crossing procedures, including the crossing hand signal and the danger signal, which are to be used when a student roadway crossing cannot be avoided. Recommendation closed <strong>11/14/2024</strong><br/></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-20-014">​H-20-14 to the Indiana Department of Education</a>: Require local school transportation directors and others involved in evaluating school bus routes and stops in Indiana to complete the training module on the safety and risks of routes and stops recommended in <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-20-013">Safety Recommendation H-20-13​</a>.</p><br/>

<a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-20-010">​H-20-10 to NHTSA</a>​: When evaluating safety self-assessment reports from entities testing automated driving systems on public roads, evaluate how effectively the entities include school bus operations in their plans.​<p></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-18-008">H-18-8 to NHTSA</a>​: Require all new school buses to be equipped with collision avoidance systems and automatic emergency braking technologies.​<span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: aptos, sans-serif;">.</span></p><p> <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: aptos, sans-serif;"></span> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-01-041">​​H-01-41&#160;to NHTSA​</a>:​ Evaluate the feasibility of incorporating automatic crash notification systems on school buses and, if feasible, proceed with system development.</p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-18-019">H-18-19 to Blue Bird Corporation, Collins Industries, Inc., IC Bus, Starcraft Bus, Thomas Built Buses, Inc.,&#160; Trans Tech, and Van-Con Inc​</a>.:&#160;Install a collision avoidance system with automatic emergency braking as standard equipment on all newly manufactured school buses.​​​</p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-15-002">H-15-2&#160;​to the American Bus&#160;Association, United Motorcoach Association, American Trucking Associations, American Public Transportation Association, National Assoication for Pupil Trasportation, National Association of State Directors of&#160;Pupil Transportation Services, and National School Transportation Association​</a>: Encourage your members to ensure that any onboard video system in their vehicles provides visibility of the driver and of each occupant seating location, visibility forward of the vehicle, optimized frame rate, and low-light recording capability.</p><br/>

<a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-19-003">​H-19-3​ to the Unisted States Department of Transportation</a>: Require in-service school buses to be equipped with fire suppression systems that at a minimum address engine fires.<br/><p></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-19-004">​​H-19-4 to NHTSA​</a>: Require all new school buses to be equipped with fire suppression systems that at a minimum address engine fires.​​<br/></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-19-005">H-19-5 to NHTSA</a>: Develop standards for newly manufactured school buses, especially those with engines that extend beyond the firewall, to ensure that no hazardous quantity of gas or flame can pass through the firewall from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment.​​​<br/></p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-19-011">​​H-19-11​ to Blue Bird Corporation, Collins Industries, Inc., IC Bus, Starcraft Bus, Thomas Built Buses, Inc., Trans Tech, and Van-Con Inc​</a>.​: As standard equipment on all newly manufactured school buses, install fire suppression systems that at a minimum address engine fires.</p><p> <a href="https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/H-19-012">H-19-12 to Blue Bird Corporation, Collins Industries, Inc., IC Bus, Starcraft Bus, Thomas Built Buses, Inc., Trans Tech, and Van-Con Inc</a>​​:&#160; Ensure that, for any opening or penetration of the engine firewall, no hazardous quantity of gas or flame can pass through the firewall from the engine compartment to the passenger compartment in newly manufactured school buses.​​​</p>