School Buses Go Through Rigorous Checks Before Allowed on Road

By Mindy Mizell, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY – Not only do bus drivers have to go though tests and training before they can work, buses have to go through several inspections as well before it is ever allowed on the road.

Just last April a Tulsa Public School bus was hit head-on by a pick-up truck that crossed over the center line, hospitalizing more than half of the students.

Last year, in Bokchito, a tractor-trailer rig hit another school bus, injuring another half a dozen on board.

Moore Transportation Director Floyd Gates, a 25-year retired firefighter, has seen a lot throughout his past career, managed vehicles and horrible crashes. That's why today, his job is personal.

"…Which gives me the drive to make sure we're more safe on the road," Gates said.

In Moore, it's Gates' job to be the bus gate keeper. Each of his 110 drivers is required to turn in daily inspection reports, even if just the smallest thing is broken.

"If it's something that will keep them from going one route or is dangerous and needs to be attended to at that time, we'll take it out of service," Gates said.

But, accidents still happen. According to the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety, last year, of the more than 71,000 reported accidents in Oklahoma, 202 involved school buses. In 2008 there were 205 and in 2007 there were 240. Over the past five years, school buses have been involved in an even 1,000 accidents which is less than 1 percent of Oklahoma's total crashes. But, four people were killed. The primary cause of the accidents was drivers not paying attention, making improper turns or drivers failing to yield.

Karen Keithline, a bus driver trainer for Jenks, tells drivers to think of each student as somebody's baby.

"We do not want to mess around and hurt any of those babies," Keithline said.

In Oklahoma there are 369,000 babies from kindergarten to high school who use the state's public school buses. While each school district does buy or lease their own fleet, each bus is required to comply with state and federal transportation regulations.

"We're not going to duct tape the bus together and throw it into service, we want to know it actually works," Jenks Transportation Director James McNabb said.

McNabb said mechanics look over the outside of each bus before heading out. And, inside the bus, bus drivers themselves make sure everything is in order.

Terri Black, a bus driver now for four years, said if students sit properly in their seats, the seat cushions in front and in back will protect them.

"It's like putting an egg in an egg carton," Black said.

The students are like precious cargo that this year will be even more closely watched in some districts. Mid-Del schools are experimenting with GPS devices on each bus that pinpoint each vehicle's exact location. Some will even have surveillance cameras onboard.

But, most accidents aren't caused by bad buses.

"These buses are built like tanks," McNabb said.

It's human error that needs to be most avoided.

"I've been working toward this all summer," Gates said.

As for Gates, it's his goal to turn in a bus safety report card this year, that's no less than 100 percent.