TRAINER NOTES FOR LESSON PLAN School Bus Drivers Inservice

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1 TRAINER NOTES FOR LESSON PLAN School Bus Drivers Inservice TITLE OF LESSON: FIELD TRIPS Length of Lesson: 30 minutes TRAINER NOTES: This lesson plan is designed to go over the personal obstacles that a driver could encounter while driving on a field trip (distracted driving; driver fatigue; night driving; safe following distance and evacuation of the bus during a field trip). We have also included preparation ideas and safety review information. During the lesson plan, while reviewing how to conduct a safety review, the instructor may utilize a brief amount of time for an exercise by letting drivers demonstrate their actual safety speech they have used in the past. The video Driven to Distraction will need to be checked out from your Regional Transportation Coordinator s office at the ESD.

2 School Bus Drivers Inservice TITLE OF LESSON: FIELD TRIPS Objectives of Lesson: At the end of this lesson, the student will be able to: Define three driving hazards that a trip driver might face. Explain where to find special procedures for field trips. Explain how to complete a pre-departure safety review. List strategies on how to evacuate a bus quickly and safely. Equipment for Lesson: Laptop Projector or overhead projector Handouts: o H-1 Pupil Transportation Emergency Procedures o H-2 Emergency Review for Extra-Curricular and Form DVD Introduction: Slide 1 As school bus drivers we carry a special cargo, students. Parents expect their student to have a safe ride not only to and from school but also when they are on field trips that take them away from their school district. When driving on a field trip, drivers need to prepare themselves for the long, dark hours they will encounter while they are out on the roadway. A driver could also experience driver fatigue and distracted driving, problems with night driving vision and the possibility of having to evacuate a bus during the field trip. A thorough job of preparation is the best means of assuring a safe enjoyable trip for you, the students, and the coach or chaperone. We will review, discuss, and brainstorm various ideas and ways of doing this. Presentation: In today s fast paced society, people are working longer hours in order to keep up with the demands and responsibilities they have. For many, eight hours of sleep is a luxury, and more and more of us simply try to get by with less sleep. Without sufficient sleep, most aspects of human Lesson Plan 1

3 performance deteriorate; including, decision-making, thinking and information processing, memory, reaction time and concentration. I. Driver Fatigue Driver fatigue is a safety issue of special concern to the bus transportation industry. Drivers often work irregular schedules and drive long mileage trips during the night. Due to a driver s high annual mileage exposure and other factors, bus driver s risk of being involved in a fatigue related crash is far greater than that of non-commercial drivers. So what are some of the symptoms that a driver could encounter if they are fatigued? Symptoms of driver fatigue and road trance: Burning sensation in the eyes. Eyelids feel heavy. Inability to focus eyes. Muscles begin to twitch. Back tension. Yawning. Thoughts wander and are disconnected. Limbs feel heavy, or light and tingly, or numb. Breathing becomes shallow. Slide 2 Loss of sleep is one of the main, and most known, causes of fatigue. When a driver takes a micro nap while behind the wheel of a bus going 60 mph, the bus will travel 90 feet for every second that the driver is napping. Drivers can best prepare themselves from drivers fatigue by making sure they get enough sleep. II. Distracted Driver Slide 3 Another area of concern is a distracted driver on the road. Driver s inattention is a major contributor to highway crashes. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that at least 21% Lesson Plan 2

4 of police reported crashes involve some form of driver inattention. In 2009, nearly 5,474 people were killed and an estimated 448,000 were injured in crashes that involved distracted driving. Distracted driving involves any activity a person engages in that has the potential to distract the driver from the primary task of driving and increase the risk of a crash. There are three main types of driving distraction: Slide 4 Visual taking your eyes off the road. Manual taking your hands off the wheel. Cognitive taking your mind off what you are doing. Show DVD Driven to Distraction. Trainer Notes: Have a group discussion on what was presented in the DVD. When driving have you ever been a distracted driver? When driving a bus, have you ever? Read routing information while driving on a route? Cleaned the inside of the windshield? Talked excessively to passengers? Picked something up from the floor? Applied lip balm? If you answered yes to any of the above items, you are driving distracted and are at risk of a crash. Drivers can inadvertently focus their attention away from the roadway, thus putting yourself and your passengers in jeopardy. How can you avoid being distracted? Lesson Plan 3

5 Stay focused and pay attention! Slide 5 Limit interaction with passengers. Avoid talking while driving. Avoid taking your eyes off the road. Keep both hands on the wheel. As a driver, your primary task is to have constant focus on the road and have good physical control of your vehicle. When taking your eyes off the road, you will miss so many things happening before you, a car ahead of you can suddenly brake, a walker might cross the roadway, and you might miss the traffic signal that has just changed; all these are undoubtedly not good signs for driving safely. III. Driving at Night Slide 6 Ninety percent of a driver s reaction depends on vision, and vision is severely limited at night. Depth perception, color recognition, and peripheral vision are compromised after sundown. Another factor adding danger to night driving is fatigue. Drowsiness makes driving more difficult by dulling concentration and slowing reaction time. At the time of night when it is most critical to keep your eyes on the road, distractions that take your eyes off of the roadway can be deadly. At 40 mph, you will travel almost 180 feet in just three seconds. When driving, generally one of the main rules to staying safe is being able to stop within the distance that you can see. Don t out drive the beams of your headlights. IV. Safe Following Distance At all times, a driver needs to keep a Safe Following Distance. What is a good Safe Following Distance? Lesson Plan 4

6 The general rule to follow is, one second of time for every ten feet of vehicle. Most drivers will error on the safe side and leave extra room for reaction time. To determine a good safe following distance you need to factor in, reaction time, braking distance, and total stopping distance. A driver s reaction time is usually between 0.5 to 1 second. Generally you will travel about the same number of feet as miles per hour that you are driving. So, if you are traveling at 40 mph you will travel about 40 feet from seeing the hazard to actually engaging the brake. Slide 7 Then there is Braking Distance. This distance is based on how far the average vehicle would travel with the brakes engaged before coming to a complete stop. Don t forget wet surfaces can double your stopping distance, and ice and snow can increase it by up to 10 times. AVERAGE STOPPING DISTANCES Miles per hour Feet per (mph) second If the school bus is going under 40 mph and the bus is 40 feet long, the driver should calculate one second for every ten feet of the bus. For every second, (using the AVERAGE STOPPING DISTANCES table) at 40 mph, the bus will travel 58.7 feet per second. Four seconds X 58.7 feet = feet that will be needed to stop the bus. (Almost the length of a football field). So be safe and check your following distance no matter what speed you are traveling. You can never have too much space in front of you Lesson Plan 5

7 Trainer Note: While going over the following information, make it specific to your drivers and school district. Engage your drivers in a short comment and questions session. V. While on a field trip, a driver could also encounter an accident due to driver fatigue, problems with night driving vision, or a distracted driver that might come over into their lane of travel. As with any special assignment that is not your regular home to school route, different procedures apply that change the way you complete your task at hand. Today as we discuss activity trips, we also want to review the necessary differences we must follow to complete these trips for our own district. Slide 8 Of course the best source of information and procedures comes from your. Supervisor Driver handbook District policies Driver trainer Dispatcher By utilizing these resources you can adequately prepare for your trip. Slide 9 Start your preparation by ensuring you have the correct tools needed: Flashlight if night hours are scheduled. Correct direction to town, school or location. Correct paperwork, i.e. trip ticket, mileage log, time log, and knowledge of proper completion. Ice scraper for winter months. Blanket for waiting in bus or attending outdoor activit.y Bus equipment two sets of chains, sanders full, spare garbage bags, etc. Snacks, water, gum, if needed Lesson Plan 6

8 Are you familiar with the bus you will be driving? If not, arrive early enough to learn all the control positions and safety feature operations. If possible, you may want to take the bus for a short drive for familiarization and driving characteristics. Once you have prepared yourself along with the bus and arrived at the loading point, continue your preparation by: Slide 10 Introducing yourself to the coach and/or chaperone. Ask about special routing requests and directions. Store luggage in appropriate compartments. Double check that compartment doors are secured. Evacuation procedures are required to be reviewed prior to any extracurricular field trip per WAC (6). Which states, H-1 (6) At the start of each extracurricular field trip, the school bus driver shall review with all passengers, the location and use of the emergency exits and emergency equipment, and any district emergency procedures. H-2 Review all of the emergency and safety procedures that your district requires of you. The handout given is a sample list you may use. Make your instructions short and clear. Remember that the group is excited to get underway, but in no way should you compromise the information that needs to be reviewed. The attached sample also has room to incorporate information specific to your district. Examples may be; requesting information on any students you might be transporting with specific health concerns or needs, (bee allergies, diabetes, peanut allergy). Emergency review items to be discussed: Slide 11 Emergency Exits keeping clear, no personal belongings. Front Entrance Door emergency release. Rear Door, Windows, Roof Hatches how they operate. Application of Emergency Brake location. Key Switch and Operation location Lesson Plan 7

9 Safety Equipment fire extinguisher, first aid box, reflectors, seatbelt cutter Any additional items/information that passengers need to know about. In an emergency situation, drivers need to have a plan on how to evacuate a bus quickly and safely. Plan in your mind how you would handle any scenarios you could encounter (collision, fire, breakdown, etc.). Part of your preparation along with your student review is how to evacuate your bus. Drivers need to have some sort of a plan in place before the actual situation arises. Summary: Slide 12 Activity trips can be an excellent outing and change of pace for you. It may mean an additional revenue source or the ability to follow a school activity that you have interest in. As such, you still have the responsibility to get all passengers to their destination and back safely. We now know there are three very important factors that can affect a bus driver while driving an activity trips. Driving while fatigued, distracted, and under night situations. We have discussed the many indicators of fatigue and know how to recognize them. Driving distracted can happen visually, manually, and cognitively. How are you going to avoid this danger? During dark hours of driving we will not over drive our headlights, realizing it is much harder to drive 15 seconds ahead with limited visibility. When accepting an activity trip assignment, we also accept the responsibility to adequately prepare ourselves. Many tasks are needed to be ready for the assignment. Personal supplies, bus condition, route familiarization, and paper work knowledge are but some key concerns. Recently our state mandated a pre-departure safety review to be conducted with the students. Have a well-rehearsed plan ahead of arrival to load your students. Use the sample or a modified form to assure your complete review of information. Be brief, clear and do not omit this important step of the trip. During this review, be sure to include your plan for evacuation, should it be required. Plan ahead of time how you will complete this as you have reviewed in your training manual, or how you did your last bus evacuation drill, and asked your trainer for assistance and input if needed Lesson Plan 8

10 These preparations will get you on your way to a safe and enjoyable activity trip. Evaluation: Slide 13 Questions: 1. Name three driving hazards that a trip driver might face. 2. List where a driver might find the special procedures for a trip. 3. List three items from the Emergency Review List that should be discussed with the passengers. 4. List three strategies/ideas on how to quickly and safely evacuate a school bus in an emergency situation. Answers: Slide Driver fatigue; distracted driving; night driving 2. Supervisor; driver handbook; district policies; driver trainer, dispatcher. 3. Doors; windows; roof hatches; parking brake; fire extinguisher, first aid kit; reflectors; seat belt cutter. 4. Use all exits if possible; exit in an orderly fashion; leave personal items behind; remain calm; no pushing or shoving Lesson Plan 9

11 PUPIL TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY PROCEDURES Facts WAC Emergency Exit Drills and Procedures WAC (6) At the start of each field trip or extracurricular trip, the school bus driver shall review with all passengers, the location and use of the emergency exits and emergency equipment, and any district emergency procedures. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated a 2001 multiple-fatality school bus accident in Nebraska and issued several recommendations (safety report H-04-06). The Washington Administrative Code (WAC) quoted above takes effect, November 1, This additional requirement is in response to one of the NTSB s recommendations. The new procedure will take a few minutes prior to the commencement of each trip and will have an important impact on all extra-curricular and field trips provided by your pupil transportation department. Your district has the option to start offering instruction prior to the required November 1, 2007 implementation date. Please share this information with your athletic directors and coaches. School bus transportation remains the safest form of transportation available and your support is greatly appreciated as we implement this new safety feature. Does my group of students have to go through emergency procedures every time we use the bus? Yes, besides being required, each bus has slightly different location of emergency equipment and exit orientation. How much time will the new emergency procedure take? Your group will not have to practice exiting the bus, so expect only a few minutes of your time to be devoted to this important information. I have been told we will start emergency procedures at the beginning of the school year, is this okay? Yes, your district administration has the option to start this new procedure before the implementation date of November 1, Unequaled Safety Record There is no safer way to transport a child than in a school bus. Fatal crashes involving school bus occupants are extremely rare events even though the equivalent of the populations of Florida, Massachusetts, and Oregon ride on a school bus twice every day. Technical Advice Regional Transportation Coordinators Region 1 ESD 112 & 113 Dan Payne (360) x 221 Region 2 ESD 114 & 121 Randy Millhollen (253) x 5011 Region 3 ESD 189 Anna Esquibel (360) Region 4 ESD 105, 123, & 171 Jan Clarence (509) Region 5 ESD 101 Mike Kenney (509) Lesson Plan H-1

12 (INSERT SCHOOL DISTRICT NAME and/or LOGO HERE) EMERGENCY REVIEW for Extra-Curricular and Hello, my name is. For your safety, I will point out the emergency exits, equipment, and procedures before we get underway. (point to each item as it is identified) EMERGENCY EXITS Keep all exits clear. Evacuate only if it is safer to be off the bus, and do not take your belongings. Front entrance door (use when possible). Rear door or window Side door(s) Roof hatch ADDITIONAL DISTRICT POLICIES EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT: Apply emergency brake Turn off key Ask if anyone is hurt Call for help on the radio cell phone Fire Extinguisher First Aid Kit Reflectors Seat Belt Cutter Thank you for your time, and let s have a safe and pleasant trip! I have completed the safety review for field and extracurricular trips in accordance with WAC (6). Bus Driver Signature Date I understand that I am responsible for the behavior of the students in my charge and shall ensure that passengers comply with state rules as well as district policies and procedures for student transportation. I also understand that the school bus driver shall have final authority and responsibility in accordance with WAC (4). Coach, Teacher or Other Assigned Staff Member Signature Date Lesson Plan H-2