The big yellow school bus has long been considered a safe space for children as they journey to and from school. Accidents involving school buses are extremely rare but unquestionably tragic.

School Bus Safety

Each year, school buses transport more than 25 million kids to and from school. With such precious cargo, drivers and their vehicles must be operating at the highest standards of safety.

1. Use Cameras
2. Training
3. Monitor Fatigue

1) Use Cameras

In 2017, more than 104,000 school bus drivers observed vehicles illegally passing school buses in a single day. Most state laws require vehicles on both sides of a road without a median to stop while school bus stop arms and flashing red lights are deployed. 15 states explicitly allow local governments or school districts to use cameras to capture images and issue tickets for drivers illegally passing stopped school buses.

2) Training

Students don’t care how efficient a route is or that it gets them to school on time. But they do care how their driver treats them and the overall ride experience. Much of that relationship comes down to the driver’s training and the tools they are given to succeed. Training requirements for bus drivers vary by state and school district but should include a combination of technical and human relations training.

3) Monitor Fatigue

Fatigue can be a big problem for drivers that get up early, have a longer than normal route, or have many stops. Allison transmissions provide improved performance for maneuvering, braking suddenly, and shifting gears. This goes a long way in decreasing driver fatigue and improving brake response times.

Pro Tip: When you think of bus driver fatigue, you probably don’t think of the bus mechanics, but the wrong transmission could be making the driver’s job harder.

Keeping Your Children Safe

The school bus is the safest vehicle on the road, keeping your child safer than they would be traveling by car. Keep your fleet of buses safe with cameras, driver training, and vehicle components to cut down on fatigue.

Contact Us to learn more about our rebuilt Allison transmissions for school buses.