2020 is here and we are continuing to make safety our priority! This month’s safety meeting was focused on reviewing some important topics from the end of 2019 and discussing student/passenger safety inside and outside of the bus along with some critical parts of pre-trip inspections. The overall theme of the meeting was staying focused and minimizing distractions of any kind.

The agenda started with a discussion about vehicle preparations in winter weather and how extra time is needed to prepare for the day’s driving. It is imperative that snow and ice are removed from the vehicle – especially windshields and windows – before departure. Any sort of debris can cause impaired vision and distractions will driving.

When on the road, it is important for drivers to be aware of their environment. Even in situations where there is seemingly no risk of danger, drivers must be on the lookout and always anticipate something happening. Most situations, when reviewed, have an identifiable “critical decision point” that was made, and if the choice was different, a different outcome would have been achieved.

Another important topic covered was student safety management. This encompasses the safety of the students prior to getting on the bus, when they are on the bus, and when they exit the bus to go to school or home. Drivers are trained to watch where the students are walking at all times, and if they can’t see the students, to not move the bus. They are instructed to clear their dangers zones, make eye contact with students as they cross in front of the bus, and to watch for oncoming traffic that may put the students in harms way.

Part of keeping students safe includes doing child/passenger checks. Child/passenger checks are to be done by both the driver and the assistant after the end of each route and again at the bus yard. This procedure prevents students/passengers from being left unattended. We are committed to ensuring all of our passengers are kept safe on a daily basis. At our January meeting, a child/passenger check quiz was distributed to test and review employees’ knowledge on this procedure.

At the end of the meeting, employees who have had no preventable accidents or injuries for 1, 2, or 3 years received a safety pin. By eliminating distractions, it’s possible to achieve zero fatalities, zero unattended children, zero preventable accidents, and zero preventable injuries. Our employees are committed to putting safety first and making the roads safer for our communities. We commend all of our employees for everything they do to keep our passengers safe!