A few weeks ago, an incident took place on a school bus in Prince George’s county, involving a fight between two students from Duval High School and resulting in the arrest of six kids with charges of assault.  The incident is one of many that have been occurring lately involving school buses and which have aroused a key question: Are

school buses really safe?

 

Experts, media, studies, and several other sources that deal with the issue of school bus safety agree with the “fact” that school buses are the safest way of transportation nationwide.  According to the School Bus Information Council, yellow school buses have proven to be successful when it comes to safety, having the lowest death rate of 0.01 in the transportation industry, compared to the much higher death rate of passenger cars of 0.94.  The National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS) says that “nationwide, on average there are fewer than 10 school bus passenger fatalities each year out of approximately 10 billion student trips.”  But what does it mean for a bus ride to be “safe”?

 

In Montgomery County, about 100,000 students ride a bus every day.  According to Montgomery County Public Schools, with such a large number of students using this facility, their “safety is a top priority for the school system” and a job which involves students, parents, bus drivers, principals, and teachers.  “In order for a bus ride to be safe, students must remain seated while the bus is running, and remain quiet until they arrive at their bus stop.  If any disturbance occurs, the bus driver has the authority to intervene and take the necessary actions,” recalls the National Transportation Safety Board.  The National School Safety and Security Services says that “bus drivers receive the necessary training to prevent and manage any type of emergency situations, including violence aboard. “  As part of safety requirements, school busses are equipped with devices such as radios that are used to communicate with the school’s main office in case of emergency, and now some busses include cameras that help monitor behavior aboard.  In addition, bus drivers are allowed to issue bus referrals whenever they consider it necessary. 

 

But even though school buses are very well equipped so that students have a safe ride, incidents such as fights on busses or at bus stops have become more common lately.  Following the incident on the Prince Georges’ County school bus, people have become more aware of these occurrences, and as a result questions about school bus safety have arisen.  As part of the Northeast Consortium, Paint Branch, as well as Springbrook and Blake High Schools, have a larger number of busses, compared to other high schools in the area.  “The large number of busses given to Paint Branch by the County,” says Ms. McDonnell, a member of the school security staff, “is a result of the large area that this school covers and the Specialized Programs that we have here such as the Emotionally Disturbed Program (ED).”  According to Ms. McDonnell, these school buses are well equipped, “each bus has a radio that drivers can use to communicate with other busses, the Department of Transportation, or with the school’s main office whenever needed.”  But even though bus drivers have the ability to communicate with several places in case of emergency, the problem of fights on busses goes even farther.  “I’ve seen kids ride other people’s busses so they can fight them either on the bus or at the stop once they get off,” says Sophomore Anthony Tucker.  In response to this comment, Ms. McDonnell says that “in these cases, it is up to the bus driver to settle the incident on the bus or write a referral and ask for security intervention.  In case the bus driver does ask for our help, what we do is listen to the student’s version of the incident and then the bus driver’s version.  Then, depending on the severity of the incident, we take the referral to the student’s administrator, and they decide what to do.  The penalty can range from school suspension for ten days to removal from the bus.”  She says that even if the incident occurs on a bus or at a bus stop, it receives the same penalty as if it happened on school grounds because “busses and bus stops are considered County property.”  At Paint Branch, the most common cases observed have been “minor fights on the bus and kids throwing things out of the window,” says Ms. McDonnell. 



Being safe on a bus also means wearing a seat belt.  A law in Maryland called the Seat Belt Law states that the use of seat belts is mandatory for the driver and every other passenger of a motor vehicle, including passenger busses.  Then why is it that school busses do not have seat belts?  According to the School Bus Information Council, “modern school buses are equipped with more safety equipment than any other vehicle on the road, “ and that there is no need to provide an extra margin of safety such as seat belts.  Currently, studies are being done addressing the issue of the use of seat belts in school busses.  Mr. Jim Hall, Chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said in a national conference of school transportation that the use of seat belts in a bus could have side effects, this could result in the “Seat Belt Syndrome,” which includes “damage of the abdominal wall, fracture of the lumbar spine, and intra-abdominal injury,” especially among elementary and middle school students whose bone structures are still developing.  The issue on seat belts has not yet been completely addressed, but several transportation institutions do not consider it necessary, nor do many Paint Branch students. “I think bus drivers are very careful when they drive, but I think wearing seatbelt would be good just for extra precaution,” says senior Camille Smith.

Riding a bus in Montgomery County, and nationwide, means riding safely.  The bottom line in most communities is whether or not the busses are equipped with what is necessary in case of an emergency of any type, including violence on board.