Safety Tips For Transit Bus Drivers

Bus Driving Safety TipsBus Driving Safety TipsBy David J. Stewart January2007Here are some practical safety tipswhen driving a bus, from my own experience in the bus ministry for 14 years. I drove a church bus for many of those years, worked as a truck mechanic formany years, and still have a valid CDL license:.NEVER drive a bus on only a fewhours of sleep! I remember hearing a man at church tell me that hehad to be up to drive a school bus at 4:30 a.m. Monday morning, afterdriving a church bus all day Sunday and getting home past midnight onMonday. There's no way anyone can function properly on 3 hours ofsleep.

I turned him in to the safety director of our, andhe was told he couldn't drive for the Christian school on Monday.Sometimes ministries push people too far and tragedy results. Safetyfirst folks—be safe, not sorry!.Always report unsafe drivingpractices by ANY bus driver. I wouldn't believe this unless I hadseen it myself, and I've seen it repeatedly—bus drivers who drive acrosstrain tracks while the gates are down and the warning lights flashing.Are they crazy?

You have every right, and a duty to thechildren and other passengers on the bus, to report ANY unsafe orquestionable practices concerning the bus. In fact, I'd call thepolice on ANY bus driver who crosses downed crossing gates with a bus loadof children!!! That's insane!.NEVER violate the law, and riskthe lives of your 72 passengers by crossing any train tracks when the lightsare flashing and the gates are down. Legally, every bus driver issupposed to stop, look, and listen (with the door open) at all train tracks,whether the lights are flashing with the gates down or not.Stay far away from othertraffic! If you have to use the 'two-second, or four-second' rulefor following distance. YOUR FOLLOWING TOO CLOSE!

I am a firmbeliever in maintaining a ridiculous distance, ESPECIALLY between buses,which is being EXTRA SAFE. Literally, I would try to stay 1/4 mileaway from other buses.

I am suffering with herniated disks in my neckfor the rest of my life, because another bus driver in our church plowedinto the back of the bus I was driving. His transmission was laying inthe street. Let's face it, drivers DON'T use the four-second rule whenit's raining (and it was raining that day). So I say, it's much betterto allow MUCH more following distance. The rule I use is to always begoing a little slower than other traffic.

This way the followingdistance is always increasing instead of decreasing. Get into thehabit of gently backing away from vehicles in front of you, to allow lots offollowing distance.

Let everyone else rush to the red light.Use Your Mirrors, that's whythey're there! It's important to make sure that your mirrors areadjusted properly so that you can use them. A bus has several BLINDSPOTS, which means that EVERY CHURCH BUS should have enough mirrors to coverthose blind spots. You definitely want convex lens mirrors on eachside of the front hood. This gives a wide view look of each side ofthe bus. Ensure before driving the bus that no mirrors are broken, andthat they haven't fallen off the bus.

I've seen some real junkers thathad no business being on the road. By the way, I'm going to saythis. If your church can't afford to maintain safe buses, then don't havea bus ministry.

A desire for souls doesn't justify breaking the lawand endangering other people's lives, not to mention the class-actionlawsuit that'll likely be filed against the church. Sadly, theChristian Law Association has it's hands full with unnecessary lawsuitsbecause of carelessness in some of our churches.Don't be a lane changer, andwhen you do change lanes, do it SLOWLY! Every time you changeslanes, you are creating a potential accident. Only an idiot wouldsuddenly signal and then swerve into the next lane.

If you missed yourturn, then take the time to go around the block, NEVER swerve suddenly, andALWAYS alert other drivers with your turn signals before turning.Also, if the driver behind you has to press on his brakes before you put onyour turn signal, you cut him off.NEVER backup without a spotter.There is NO SUCH THING as safe backing. Driving backwards bynature is very dangerous. Vehicles are designed to go forwards, notbackwards. Backing up is very dangerous, even in the safest ofconditions, because YOU CAN'T SEE WHERE YOU'RE GOING.NEVER backup if you can't seeyour spotter.

A heartbroken man in a bus ministry backup over hisown son, killing him, because he ASSUMED his son was out of the way.Please don't ever backup when you can't see your spotter.Try to avoid situation whereyou'll be required to backup. I knew a bus driver who couldn'tmake this particular turn on his bus route. So what he'd do is driveall the way down the street anyway, then back all the way out. Folks,that's retarded. Why take chances? Drop off a couple bus workersto go get the riders.

Then swing back a few minutes later to get them.It's a good idea to have anadult bus worker sitting by the back door at all times. Any kidwho has ever spent time on a bus KNOWS that the troublemakers LOVE the backseats of the bus. It's a frightening moment for any bus driver, whentraveling 50 m.p.h. Down the highway, and the back door alarm suddenlysounds (i.e., someone is opening the door).

Kids are kids. Theadult in the back seat should be trained to keep alert of what the childrenare doing at all times. Is anyone sticking their head out the window?Is anyone tossing items out the window? Is anyone killing anotherpassenger?

I don't know why, but kids love to wrestle on school buses.To prevent distractions and accidents, it's helpful to the bus driver if anadult is dedicated to maintaining civility.NEVER drive a bus if you seeliquid leaking down the inside of a tire. This is a guaranteedsign that you've blown a brake caliper, and your breaking ability has beenreduced greatly. All school buses have a dual-braking system forsafety reasons. So don't be deceived, you may still have brakes, butonly HALF of the system is working.

A bus captain once became angrywith me in front of the passengers, because I found fluid leaking down theinside of my right rear tire, and I refused to drive any further. Whenthe mechanic came to tow the bus, the bus captain apologized to me.The mechanic told him that the condition was extremely dangerous. Ofcourse, being a mechanic myself at the time, I already knew that.Remember drivers, YOU are LEGALLY responsible for the safety of all yourpassengers—NOT anyone else! Don't stick your neck out for a zealousministry leader who disregards safety. This is a big problem in busministries all across America!

I've actually heard bus driversbragging about driving dangerous buses—with inoperative windshield wipers,one headlight, idiot lights flashing on and off, and even buses where youhad to pump the brake pedal several times to 'get a pedal.' If youhave to press a brake pedal more than once before you feel any resistance,your bus is extremely dangerous to drive!.NEVER drive an unsafe bus.I once went to a bus center where our church rented buses from to sign out abus, and noticed that the 'low vacuum' idiot light was on. When I wentto get another bus, the lot attendant tried to convince me that there wasnothing wrong with the bus.

I refused, and he gave me the key toanother bus. This bus had no windshield when I found it.

As I went to ask for another bus, and you're not going tobelieve this, another driver came into the office and said. 'I was pullingout of Dunkin Donuts and my bus caught on fire.'

I'd nevertried not to laugh so hard in my life. I couldn't believe what I washearing. Of course, this was Chicago, and in any big city you're goingto have more of these types of problems. Again, YOU are solelyresponsible for the bus you are driving. You are required BY LAW to doyour pre-inspection before driving any bus.Don't allow kids to stick theirhead out the bus window.

I know of a child who's head was crushedbetween the bus and a telephone pole, killing him instantly.Tragically, his mother was sitting in the seat behind him and saw the wholeordeal. Be safe, not sorry! Don't even allow kids to place theirhead through the window when the bus is turned off. Get them into theright habit, all the time.NEVER accelerate quickly afterdropping off a passenger. A child may drop something, and go backto pick it up, and you'll have to explain to the police, their parents, andyour pastor why you killed their child by running over them.

I alwaysstart out slowly and continue slowly for several feet, then I graduallyaccelerate. I really like those pneumatic operated gates that swingout in front of the bus. This safety device requires children to walkfurther out in front of the bus where the driver CAN SEE THEM. Irecommend them, but don't rely on them so much that you let your guard down.I'm telling you folks, buses are dangerous by nature. Yes, buses canbe driven safely, but it requires constant alertness, thinking ahead, anddriving at reasonable speeds for conditions.Don't take out your anger onyour passengers. I once knew a young bus driver who became angryat his girlfriend, so he decided to drive like a maniac—speeding, jerkingthe bus, forcing the accelerator pedal, and pressing hard on the brakes.When his church bus arrived at the rendezvous, I saw some of the ladies onhis bus crying. If you ever experience this, warn your pastorimmediately.

If he doesn't listen, or defends the driver, call thepolice immediately. Jerks like that shouldn't be driving anything.So if you get mad, don't be selfish and cruel by tormenting your riders.It's tragic that a person would come to church (of all places) and receivethis type of treatment. Some men are too big for their britches, andneed to be dealt with. Don't be afraid to speak up!.Don't take your bus through anydrive-thrus. I can't believe I'm giving you this one, but Iactually saw it happen in Chicago.

This guy tried to drive his bus upto a drive-thru window, to get a burger, and crashed into the bottom of thedrive-thru overhang. Folks, how lazy are we Americans getting?How do you explain that on your accident report?.NEVER allow any ministry leaderto bully you into doing something unsafe. I've seen this happentime and time again. If your church policy, or state law, dictatesthat the interior lights of the bus are to remain off while driving—thenenforce it!

Furthermore, of your church, or state law, doesn'tdictate anything concerning interior lights, you are still the driver, andYOU. NOT THE BUS CAPTAIN.

ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SAFETY OF YOURPASSENGERS. So if you want the lights off, they go off!

Someministry leaders may need to be put in their place by the pastor, or thepolice if need be.E nforcethe STANDEE LINE RULE. I realize that a lot of drivers like thecompany upfront, but it is a distraction. No passenger should pass theWHITE STANDEE LINE on the floor while the bus is in motion. Thisprevents the driver from being distracted.Learn to say NO.Don't neglect yourself or your family. I've seen some ministries drainthe life out of their drivers. In a growing church, there is a naturaltendency for ministry leaders to pressure bus drivers to 'go the extra mile'(or should I say, thousands of miles).

Shame on such church leaders,who selfishly only think about being productive, even at the expense oftheir drivers and their families. Drivers need to learn that it's okto say, 'NO.' Just tell your ministry leader that your family mustcome first, and that you absolutely cannot drive. I once told a buscaptain that I couldn't drive for him Sunday nights anymore.

I toldhim that I was burned out, and needed to get to bed earlier for healthreasons, because I had to be up at 5:30 a.m. To go to school in the morning(50 miles away), and then work all afternoon. Do you know what thatjerk did? He preached a sermon on the church bus that night while Iwas driving, saying indirectly (i.e., without mentioning my name) that Ididn't care if 72 people went to Hell.

That is exactly what he saidtoo. I had driven that bus on Sunday night for YEARS, and I did it forthe Lord, but that bus captain was selfish and ungrateful. So, please,if you can drive.

Safety Tips For Transit Bus Drivers Make

Wonderful; but if you can't. Be firm and tell them NO.If they don't like it, they'll get over it.There aren't any more wonderfulpeople in all the world, than those working in bus ministries across America.Thank God for bus workers! However, bus workers can become demons veryquickly when something happens to a child. The people riding our churchbuses are entitled to the best treatment, the utmost respect, and the safetyconditions possible.'

It is the only happy life to live for thesalvation of souls.' —Pastor Dwight L.

Drivers of large commercial vehicles like trucks and buses need you to be aware of their unique circumstances:. Give them plenty of room: Trucks and buses cannot maneuver quickly. A commercial driver is trained to leave plenty of space around the truck or bus. In our smaller vehicles, we often see this space as a convenient avenue to a lane change.

Do not cut in front too soon after passing a truck or bus. You should not pull back in until you see both of the truck’s headlights in your rearview mirror. Do not follow closely: If you are too close behind the bus, truck or RV, the driver probably cannot see you. You also cannot see the road in front of the driver.

Leave yourself extra following distance, so you have more time to react and a better view of the road ahead. Watch for the commercial driver’s signals: Trucks and buses make wide turns. A collision may occur when a truck or bus swings left to make a wide right turn, and an unaware driver tries to pass on the right as the bigger vehicle starts to swing right again. Beware of no-zones: Places where a truck driver cannot see you are referred to as “no-zones.” No-zones are immediately in front of trucks, in back of trucks and to the side of trucks. If you cannot see the truck or bus driver in their side view mirror, the driver cannot see you.