National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Update on Lap/Shoulder Belts in School Buses School Transportation Safety Thinking Outside the Bus December 1, 2016 Brian Chodrow, NHTSA Bryan Katz, Ph.D., PE, toXcel Derek Graham, NC Dept of Public Instruction Agenda • Introduction • NHTSA Project: Education on Proper Use of Safety Belts on School Buses • Seat Belts on School Buses: North Carolina Initiatives Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. 2 November 2015 NHTSA Administrator Rosekind announced “that school buses should have three-point seat belts. Period.” Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. 3 Some Statistics • Over the past 10 years, 6.2% of fatal injuries in school bus related crashes were school bus occupants. • There are over 300 news articles on the use of safety belts on school buses. • 10 school districts in IN, NC, PA, TX, and WY have added seat belts to new school buses. Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. 4 State Legislative Activity • • • • • At least 32 states and Puerto Rico have considered legislation. Only 6 states require seat belts – CA, FL, LA, NJ, NY, TX 10 states considered seat belt legislation in 2016, but none enacted it – AZ, CT, HI, IN, MD, MA, OK, RI, SC, WV. In 2013, IN passed legislation: – Requiring bus drivers operating with seat belts installed to provide instruction to students on their use. – Requiring schools that purchase buses with seat belts to conduct a public hearing to explain the money was not used for other student safety measures. TN lawmakers have said they will push legislation after November’s fatal crash Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. 5 Seeking New Information • NHTSA has evaluated the issue of belts on school buses for many years and continuously seeks updated information to ensure we are appropriately addressing this matter. – Are there new technologies and strategies to improve school bus safety and overall school transportation safety? – What is the experience of school districts and States that have seat belts on school buses? How are these States obtaining sufficient school transportation funds? • Updating the In-service School Bus Driver Training • Reviewing school bus crash data Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. 6 Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Education on Proper Use of Safety Belts on School Buses Bryan Katz, Ph.D., PE - toXcel 7 Project Team • toXcel, LLC • North Carolina State University’s Institute of Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) • Derek Graham, Consultant toXcel Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Project Objectives • Understand the decisions that states and local agencies use when deciding to implement seat belts on school buses and the funding mechanisms that are used to pay for seat belt installation. • Develop a model policy and a best practices guide to assist jurisdictions that are considering the use of seat belts on school buses. • Obtain data related to the role of distraction and whether seat belts aid in managing behavior on school buses. Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Approach • • • • • Identify school districts that use seat belts Identify state/local policies that have funded seat belts Develop a model policy and best practices Identify how seat belts affect student behavior Develop final report Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. 10 Model Policy and Best Practices • Gather lap-shoulder seat belt acquisition and implementation information from experienced school transportation professionals throughout the U.S. • Conduct interviews with State directors of pupil transportation and local school district professionals that have established seat belt policies for school buses. • Develop a Draft Model Policy for State and local school district regulatory bodies to adopt and implement as appropriate and contextually relevant. Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. 11 How Seat Belts Affect Student Behavior • Acquire information about bus driver distraction as related to student behavior and seat belt use, with the ultimate goal of determining whether: – 1) seat belts deter student misbehavior when used properly. – 2) school bus drivers are less distracted by student misbehavior when seat belts are used. Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. 12 Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Seat Belts on School Buses: North Carolina Initiatives Derek Graham, State Director of Pupil Transportation North Carolina Department of Public Instruction 13 Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. History: Lap Shoulder Belts Pilots, testing and implementation in North Carolina Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. 3-Point Restraint Seat Belts in North Carolina 13 Buses - 2003 Delivery of 13 buses to 11 districts; placed into service in January, 2003 – Thomas Built Buses / C.E. White Seats – Additional cost - $100,000 for 13 buses – (state funded) Implementation No “mandate” – local discretion • Each district implemented these buses in the best way that they saw fit • No requirement to use the belts; however, some districts took the initiative to promote seat belt usage • Some drivers took their own initiative to enforce use • Training for driver and passenger were provided when introduced Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. mumx WM, WW8 ?Io\ 1? ?r4m? Capacity Issues Fixed positions regardless of passenger age/grade/size Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Parent Survey In general, how would you describe your view of lap/shoulder belts in buses now compared with before your child rode the bus with lap/shoulder belts? About the same 26% Much more positive 56% Somewhat more positive 18% N=148 14 schools Principal’s Perspective • • • • Saw improvement of bus discipline problem Seatbelts in the bus will not increase school bus ridership Difficult to enforce At least one principal preferred an adult monitor over belts Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Drivers’ Perspective • Driver generally liked the 3-point restraint seats. Most noted the longitudinal activities (fore/aft) are totally absent, however could not discern if this was due to high back seat or attributed to seatbelts. • It will be an added distraction for drivers to monitor and to enforce passenger belt usage. • Due to high seatback, drivers cannot see but the tallest students. This was especially a concern for middle and high school. Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. INDUSTRY RESPONDED BY ELIMINATING FIXED SEATING POSITIONS Lap-Shoulder Belts with FlexSeat 2007 Cumberland County Schools Reasons for Involvement • • • Rollover Sept. 12, 2007 Increased parent interest in lap-shoulder belts for improved safety Led to involvement in FlexSeat program Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Feedback from Driver • • • • • • • Was best year ever for driver in his 15 years of driving for CCS Seat belt usage consistent Policies helpful in reinforcing usage Reduction in behavior problems dramatic Other drivers ask about lap-shoulder belts and want their buses equipped Increased driver satisfaction Driver was diligent about seat maintenance Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. What We Learned • • • • • • Behavior improvement significant Parent satisfaction strong Policy is of great value Team effort required between schools, administration and parents Ongoing training is helpful Continuous communication is necessary Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. School Bus Driver Shortage in NC • • • Good Economy provides other opportunities for potential drivers. Drivers are leaving because of discipline issues on school buses Keeping students in their seats reduces discipline problems Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration • Stated purpose, “to address the challenges and barriers that have prevented schools from taking action to install three-point seat belt systems in school buses,” and, “operational challenges, new approaches for funding, seating capacity, training for drivers, parents, and students, and other issues” National Transportation Safety Board Studies of Fatal Crashes Students using a lap/shoulder belt fared significantly better than those using a lap belt or no restraint system at all Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Results from an Indiana District Overall TREMENDOUS SUCCESS - Unexpected Surprise - Discipline went down by 90-95% - Improved Safety No injuries - Driver Attitude Complete turn-around now asking for buses with lap-shoulder belts Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Improved Student Behavior Video Evidence Benefits - BEHAVIOR 8mm (f'ini i Withgeat Belts HHRT HE DID, UE HRD SIX BUSES. UE Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. ?Flea-?Lg; School Bus Driver Shortage in NC • • Keeping students in their seats reduces discipline problems Districts given an opportunity to request lap/shoulder belts on new, replacement school buses provided by the state Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Rollout of 82 buses with lap shoulder belts 2016 • Technical assistance provided by • Operations Research in Education Laboratory • • • Institute for Transportation Research and education Centennial Campus @ North Carolina State University June 21, 2016 Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. NC Implementation Approach? Au-ust 2016 Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. MAE Lap/Shoulder Belts on Buses 11 LEAs for 2016-2017; 12 LEAs for 17-18 82 buses for 2016-2017; 99 more for 17-18 Selected as an option by the local education agency (LEA) on replacement school buses funded by the state. LEA agrees to a required use policy Early results: Better accepted by elementary Drivers report improved discipline Adopting a policy and enforcing the policy are different things Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. Participating Districts • • • • • • • • • • • Burke Jackson Henderson Transylvania Carteret Person New Hanover Guilford Rowan Surry Washington Safer drivers. Safer cars. Safer roads. • Rutherford (2017) Seat Belt Implementation Project NC DPI initiated a research partnership with the Institute for Transportation Research and Education (ITRE) at North Carolina State University) and a researcher with the Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. These partners bring local and national expertise in bus operations and passenger safety research and practice. One of the initial deliverables was an implementation tool kit, which may be found at http://www.ncbussafety.org/seatbelts.html Safer drivers. Safer cars. 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