TRAINER NOTES FOR LESSON PLAN
2011–12 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.
2011-12 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 Field Trips 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
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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?
Slide 2
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.
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%
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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?
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Slide 5
Stay focused and pay attention!
•
•
•
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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?”
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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
10
25
40
55
60
14.7
36.7
58.7
80.7
88.0
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 = 234.8
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.
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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. Field Trips
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.
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•
•
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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.
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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
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•
•
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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.
H-1
Evacuation procedures are required to be reviewed prior to any
extracurricular field trip per WAC 392-145-080(6). Which states,
(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.
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• 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.
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These preparations will get you on your way to a safe and enjoyable
activity trip.
Slide 13
Evaluation:
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.
Slide 14
Answers:
1. 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.
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PUPIL TRANSPORTATION EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
Facts
WAC 392-145-080 Emergency Exit Drills and Procedures
Unequaled Safety Record
WAC 392-145-080 (6) At the start of each
There is no safer way to transport a
field trip or extracurricular trip, the school
child than in a school bus. Fatal crashes
bus driver shall review with all passengers,
involving school bus occupants are
the location and use of the emergency exits
extremely rare events even though the
and emergency equipment, and any district
equivalent of the populations of Florida,
emergency procedures.
Massachusetts, and Oregon ride on a
school bus twice every day.
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,
2007. 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.
Technical Advice
Regional Transportation
Coordinators
Region 1 ESD 112 & 113
Dan Payne
(360) 750-7500 x 221
Region 2 ESD 114 & 121
Randy Millhollen
(253) 778-7955 x 5011
Region 3 ESD 189
Anna Esquibel
(360) 299-4008
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?
Region 4 ESD 105, 123, & 171
Jan Clarence
(509) 454-3105
Region 5 ESD 101
Mike Kenney
(509) 789-3558
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, 2007.
2011-12 Lesson Plan
H-1
Field Trips
(INSERT SCHOOL DISTRICT NAME and/or LOGO HERE)
EMERGENCY REVIEW
for
Extra-Curricular and Field Trips
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 392-145-080(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 392-145021(4).
____________________________________________________________________
Coach, Teacher or Other Assigned Staff Member Signature
Date
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H-2