School Bus Fleet Safety
5 Dec 2016
Recent bus crash in Tennessee that has claimed the lives of six schoolchildren has school districts across the country asking questions and looking for new ways to improve school bus safety. There are some things school systems can do that will have a big impact on bus safety, these are a few steps your district can take to improve safety all around.
Install GPS Fleet Tracking
GPS fleet tracking not only allows you to record where the drivers are going. It can be used to monitor driver behavior, in real time, and even send text message or email notifications when drivers are doing the following:
- Speeding
- Hard Braking
- Swerving (or driving erratically)
- Driving Aggressively
- Deviating from the Prescribed Routes
In fact, many school districts throughout the country are already using GPS fleet tracking to monitor driving behaviors. Some, in North Carolina, have taken the additional steps of installing governors on buses that prevent them from driving faster than 45 mph, according to WNCN.com.
A Lafayette, LA school official reports that GPS tracking allows him to monitor all the buses in his district without leaving his desk informing him of important details like when stops are made, when buses are driving in reverse, when the doors are open, and, yes, when the drivers are speeding.
Conduct Bus Inspections
This includes visual inspections of the bus interior after every route is run to make sure there are no sleeping children remaining on the bus – an important safety precaution that has made headlines in the past. It also includes routine mechanical inspections and regular maintenance.
Scheduling regular maintenance can help you stay on top of potential mechanical problems to reduce the risk of accidents related to mechanical failures and poor maintenance.
Pursue More Thorough Driver Screening
At the end of the day, the driver is the one who has the greatest degree of control over whether accidents occur. Proper training and vetting of drivers can ensure you’re hiring drivers who have the right education and training to do the job. A proper screening will also explore the driver’s motor vehicle in every state where he or she has had a license to driver.
When you’re responsible for the safety of so many children every day, you want to feel confident that you’ve taken every possible precaution to ensure that safety. Taking these steps can help you send your buses and the children under your care out each day with greater confidence.
If you are in charge of a school bus fleet and are looking to improve your school bus fleet’s safety, give us a call here at LiveView GPS at 1-888-544-0494 to learn how GPS fleet tracking can help.
Comments are closed.