Pupils ‘crash’ bus in learning game
 
Pupils are then told at the training sessions about the death of
Vale of Glamorgan schoolboy Stuart Cunningham-Jones, aged 12,
in a school bus accident
........................
 
 
On the road -Of the 17,971 child pedestrian casualties last year, 3,737 were killed or seriously injured.
 
 
Child pedestrians are particularly at risk from drivers speeding in urban areas.
Research has shown that more than one third of child pedestrian casualties (12-15 year olds) occur on a journey to or from school

School bus accidents are treated as pedestrian accidents, NO one 100% has the correct figures, even Stats 19 is incorrect
 
WE ASK YOU TO SIMPLY CONSIDER THIS QUESTION
 
If we killed  or seriously injured 3.700 odd adults in plane crashes in a year  there would be an uproar, in fact how many plane crashes is that, Say 250 per plane
 
That equals an incredible 15 plane crashes
A STAGGERING FIGURE
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School buses
Standard Note: SN/BT/2778
Last updated: 15 September 2008
Author: Louise Butcher, Business and Transport
see it in full here
 
 
This note is only concerned with the responsibilities of the Department for Transport for school buses
 
 
In its April 2004 report on school transport, the Transport Committee stated that the Government should set national minimum standards for vehicle safety in local authority school bus contracts: The easiest way to improve the safety and comfort of school buses would be to specify  minimum service quality standards in tenders.
 
However, Mr Salmon told us that the specification for buses for the use of the general public was much higher than the specification applied by the same authority for vehicles to carry school children.
 
Although LEAs are required to secure best value when negotiating school transport contracts, contracts are traditionally awarded to the "lowest price bidder as a poor
 
interpretation of best value provider" (…)It is clear from our evidence that many authorities interpret "best value" as "lowest cost". This must be wrong. The Government should set national minimum standards for LEA school bus
contracts.
 
The Government disagreed with the Committee’s analysis:
 
The rules for local authorities on public bus service contracts do not specify that they must accept the lowest tender.
 
WE ARE TOLD TIME & TIME AGAIN , LOCAL AUTHORITIES HAVE TO ACCEPT THE LOWEST PRICE AS BEST VALUE.
CLEARLY THIS IS NOT THE CASE
 
THERE SEEMS TO SO MANY MIS-TRUTHS THAT ARE CIRCULATED
 
 In line with best value principles, section 152 of the  Transport Act 2000 states that authorities, in deciding whether or not to accept a  tender for a contract, should have regard to a combination of economy, efficiency and  effectiveness, the requirements of their bus strategy and the reduction or limitation of  traffic congestion, noise or air pollution.
 
 DfT is currently revising its good practice guidance to tendering authorities, last revised in 1999, giving advice on procedures and strategies for maximising value for money from contracts.
 
 
So after all the preamble written here it comes down to this 
We do not agree that it is necessary for the government to set minimum standards for LEA school bus contracts.
 
I think you would find most parents disagree with that statement
 
 
 
As to seat belts, since February 1997 seat belts have had to be fitted to all new coaches and to all minibuses whenever they were used specifically for the transport of children under 16.
 
The regulations explicitly include home-to-school transport but exclude scheduled services.  See note
The requirement is for a minimum of a lap belt to be fitted but this does not preclude three- point belts if it is so desired. All new coaches, minibuses and buses (except ‘urban buses’) have had to be fitted with seat belts since 1 October 2001.
 
New regulations which came into  force in September 2006 as a result of an EU Directive changed the rules for buses and  coaches by requiring that seat belts or child restraints must be used by seated occupants  aged three years and above in all moving buses and coaches where they are available.
 
It also requires passengers to be informed that seat belt wearing is mandatory.
 
 
NOTE: - but exclude scheduled services.  
This means that if your child travels to school on a service bus, also used as a school bus, they will never have to wear a seat belt.
 
Some Scottish LAs are in the process of ensuring seat belts are fitted to all school transport
 
On the other hand your child arriving at the same school, taken by a school bus, could well have this protection,
 
So your child has to belt up in your car
Also in a school bus if belts are fitted
But never in a service bus used also as a school bus
 
THIS SHOULD CONCERN EVERY PARENT
  
 
Many facts are hard to find on School Transport, in fact, on all laws relating to Road Traffic Acts, at times I doubt if a lawyer could understand them.
But you might find answers to your queries here  
 
http://www.dft.gov.uk
...........................................
OVER THE YEARS THOUSANDS HAVE BEEN INJURED.MANY VERY SERIOUSLY & MANY LIKE ERIN BEATY HAVE BEEN LEFT BADLY AFFECTED,OFTEN LEFT WHEEL CHAIR BOUND WITH BRAIN INJURIES contact       http://www.cbituk.org
 
 ..............................................

OVER THE YEARS MANY CHILDREN HAVE BEEN SADLY KILLED IN VARIOUS ACCIDENTS

..................................................

   The largest group (57%) of accidents occur in the afternoon and involve pedestrian movement shortly after alighting from a bus . This tends to suggest that these accidents are happening at a non-school end (home or otherwise) of a trip from school

 In the two year period tabulated, [1999-2000] 11 children were killed as pedestrians on journeys to or from school and 251 were seriously injured. Also 969 children were slightly injured.
This is a significant problem .These are the words of The Scottish  Parliament not ours

In just over half (51%) of the casualties the child was reported to have been crossing the road in front of a bus

  Just over half (54%) of the casualties have been recorded as running at the time of the accident. A small proportion (3%) was identified as "larking about" The proportion of running casualties, however, does not appear to be significantly different from the equivalent proportion for all pedestrian casualties

Children at secondary schools have a higher involvement rate as pedestrians when buses are present than children attending primary schools. This is particularly marked in the 11-14 year old age group which accounts for 65% of all casualties in the target group

More boys are injured than girls with boys accounting for 65% the target casualties . A slightly higher proportion (56%) of boys are recorded as running at the time of an accident: equivalent figure for girls is 50% .
 If the age range most at risk is examined (ages 11-14) the proportions of children running are broadly the same but with a slightly higher proportion of boys (58%) and a slightly lower proportion of girls (47%)
 
 
Table 3.4: Casualty association with bus by alighting/boarding and type of bus involved 1999 2000
Casualty association with bus
Contract school bus
Local service
Service type not known
All buses
Child definitely associated with bus as passenger - before boarding
3
2
6
11
Child definitely associated with bus as passenger - having alighted
19
4
15
38
Child may have been associated with bus as passenger
11
9
65
85
Child unlikely to be associated with bus as passenger

 

 
16
16
All casualties
33
15
102
150

 

……………………………………………..
 
The STATS 19 records for 1999 to 2000 show that 11 children were killed as pedestrians on journeys to or from school and 251 were seriously injured. Also, 969 children were slightly injured.
These figures are not totally accurate & tend to underestimate
 
Is this not something we should all be ashamed off? The fact the so many are killed, so many  are in fact injured & indeed seriously.
 
So many will be left with terrible handicaps, brain injuries, physical handicaps, mental handicaps , wounds that never heal.
 
Families lives devastated & totally changed for ever, Yes this is something we all need to think about
..........................................
   
The largest group (57%) of accidents occur in the
afternoon and involve pedestrian movement shortly
after alighting from a bus (78% of children).
 
This tends to suggest that these accidents are happening at a non-school end (home or otherwise) of a trip from school
 
The coding of STATS19 Field 3.13 (School Pupil Casualty) is not fully reliable [ which in essence means there will be more accidents, not less ] and the value of maintaining this field as part of the STATS19 dataset may be an issue for
consideration at a GB level.
 
Improvements to the STATS19 collection procedures could include a greater focus on the presence of buses at accident scenes.
 
This could be achieved in a number of ways including:
• Amending STATS19 Field 3.13 to include bus codes
 
• Making it mandatory in the STATS19 process to include a vehicle record for all parked vehicles identified in Field 3.11.
 
The cost of such improvements would have to be set
against the benefits from doing so.
 
This paper offers no opinion on a balance of such costs and benefits.
SO FAR AS FAR AS WE ARE AWARE THIS HAS NOT HAPPENED
 
 
 
 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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