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Old 11-10-2015, 08:43 AM   #1
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NHTSA to require 3 point belts in school buses

NHTSA now wants students to buckle up on school buses

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NHTSA Administrator Mark Rosekind told the National Association for Pupil Transportation, "Seat belts save lives, and that includes seat belts on school buses."

The administration previously argued the cushioned seat backs protected passengers well enough to forgo the belt.

But the "protective envelope" of close seats and cushioned backs clearly isn't effective in every accident.

This change in stance doesn't mean schools will have to adjust their buses accordingly — yet. Right now, only six states require seat belts.
Rosekind was clear that he was not announcing a new rule — rather, the administration will launch projects to try to improve data on seat belt safety. He said, "Our goal is a three-point belt for every child on every bus."

Requiring every school bus to have seat belts isn't cheap. NHTSA estimates installation would cost between $7,300 and $10,300 per bus.
I wonder if that will also include built-in boosters for those kids that don't meet age/weight requirements but are bused. I know ambulance manufactures have been adding them in the captain's chair in the back for about the past 10 years or so

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Old 11-10-2015, 10:21 AM   #2
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I seen that last night too. I think it's going to be a mess, but I did see that other states(texas and new york come to mind) have already done it or are in the process. You bring up an excellent point with the boosters. Another point is who and how are they going to police it? Are we going to have to put sensors in the seat to alert a driver that there is a kid in one without being buckled in? That's how they do it for airbags in the newer cars. Or should we trust that the kids are going to stay buckled when they're supposed to. Most drivers have a hard enough time keeping them in their seat and out of the aisle, now they have to make sure they're buckled too?
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Old 11-10-2015, 11:42 AM   #3
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They should just skip that and go right to custom fitted aluminum race buckets with harnesses.
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Old 11-10-2015, 01:08 PM   #4
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They should just skip that and go right to custom fitted aluminum race buckets with harnesses.
You paying the bill?

Nat
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Old 11-10-2015, 01:41 PM   #5
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Old 11-10-2015, 04:48 PM   #6
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Maybe we should wrap them up in bubble wrap, fill the bus with nitrous oxide, and put them to sleep the whole trip. This way they'll be safe, well mannered, and we can carry more of them because we can then stack em in there like cordwood. So that would eliminate busses needed. Win for everybody. I think I'll start writing my congressmen now.
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Old 11-10-2015, 05:40 PM   #7
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ECCB, you really have to stop using those big words. Most of us will just skip over them anyway thereby missing the whole point of the post. Ha, Ha.
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Old 11-10-2015, 10:04 PM   #8
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I'm kinda done with the whole "safety" thing (***somewhat*** sarcastic)

The human race has survived this long without seat belts on school buses, i think we should keep it that way.
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Old 11-11-2015, 12:19 AM   #9
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Lets face it compliance will be non existent. It will be 2016 in a little over a month if you haven't taught you kid to buckle up or ridden the district to get seat belts... you get whats coming.

As for districts seriously buy some new busses with 3 points in them and sell us the old ones with lap belts only! We are just going to throw away the seats anyways. There is a high likely hood they will be the older ones with mechanical engines too...
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Old 11-11-2015, 09:59 AM   #10
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I would like to see the seat belts there for the kids that are smart enough to use them.

Like everything else in life, nature will look after the dumb ones that won't use them.

On the bus I drive, every kid has a spot. That is the only place they sit. no exceptions. All 79 of the little $hits.

You don't stay in your seat 3 times in a row, you don't ride my bus for a while.

The beguiling of each year I have new kids try my rules. The first month parents are being called to pick up their kids from the side of the road.
After the rest of the kids see I'm not messing around, they learn to listen, fast.

Nat
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Old 11-11-2015, 10:06 AM   #11
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You drive kids around on a route?
AND you are a contractor and work at the bus yard?
When do you sleep?
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Old 11-11-2015, 10:35 AM   #12
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Driving kids to and from school only takes 4.5 hours a day out of 24.

On snow days I get up at 4am and plow all the snow out of the bus parking lot, and start every bus. Then I head off on my morning run.

I took this on because I hate working indoors in the winter. Days get short, and light runs out on the sites. This is a good way to extend the days a bit.

Diving bus only pay's $125 a day. However I like the diversity, and change from the job sites.
Also sometimes in winter the weather is too bad to work on the job sites. So the bus driving keeps us from falling behind on money.

The bus yard is a big place. Seems like there is always something to need fixing there.

Now that my wife is on maternity leave, I bring her and baby on the bus, and to the job sites. It's sure nice having the wife there to re tune kids that aren't listening while I'm driving.

Nat
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Old 11-11-2015, 03:28 PM   #13
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Man, Nat, you are living the buslife to the fullest!

I live on my bus yard in my bus and look after a fleet of about 30 buses. I used to drive a route everyday in the AM and PM. Now I just work running the operations for the bus company. I bet there' s a lot of contractors out there excited at the prospect of winning the seatbelt install gigs for all these districts. I bet most of the buses aren't worth the seatbelts that will be installed in them!

Reminds me of a clean air program that paid to install Webasto heaters on every bus in CO to minimize idle times and pollutants at start up. $$$$$$$$$
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Old 11-11-2015, 04:05 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
Driving kids to and from school only takes 4.5 hours a day out of 24.

On snow days I get up at 4am and plow all the snow out of the bus parking lot, and start every bus. Then I head off on my morning run.

I took this on because I hate working indoors in the winter. Days get short, and light runs out on the sites. This is a good way to extend the days a bit.

Diving bus only pay's $125 a day. However I like the diversity, and change from the job sites.
Also sometimes in winter the weather is too bad to work on the job sites. So the bus driving keeps us from falling behind on money.

The bus yard is a big place. Seems like there is always something to need fixing there.

Now that my wife is on maternity leave, I bring her and baby on the bus, and to the job sites. It's sure nice having the wife there to re tune kids that aren't listening while I'm driving.

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Old 11-11-2015, 09:41 PM   #15
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Screw safety concerns, I'm hoping that if it goes through they'll just retire their current fleets across the board and update to new busses with new harness/belt/whatever systems instead of replacing the seats. A bus exodus would be epic.
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Old 11-11-2015, 10:28 PM   #16
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no bus exodus until I sell my extra bus, don't want the market to crash LOL
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Old 11-12-2015, 02:35 AM   #17
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Originally Posted by nat_ster View Post
Driving kids to and from school only takes 4.5 hours a day out of 24.

Diving bus only pay's $125 a day.
Only?! Yikes. Unless I missed something somewhere that's over 27 bucks and hour?

Where I'm at, school bus drivers make 10/hr. I pull hazmat tankers all day for 15/hr.
And that's good pay around here...
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Old 11-12-2015, 06:48 AM   #18
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Only?! Yikes. Unless I missed something somewhere that's over 27 bucks and hour?

Where I'm at, school bus drivers make 10/hr. I pull hazmat tankers all day for 15/hr.
And that's good pay around here...
My thoughts exactly.
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Old 11-12-2015, 09:32 AM   #19
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Screw safety concerns, I'm hoping that if it goes through they'll just retire their current fleets across the board and update to new busses with new harness/belt/whatever systems instead of replacing the seats. A bus exodus would be epic.
Don't get your hopes up. A new bus is $60-90,000 depending on size and options. They won't be getting rid of the nice ones, more like all the old junk that they were probably going to ditch in a few years anyways. Busses depreciate incredibly fast, so a lot of them will opt for the 15k upgrade for 5 or 10 years more service vs. getting a new one at 80k.

The big issue is not all districts are as financially in the black as we would like them to be(mostly inner city districts). So how they're going to afford $15,000 x 100 busses is the real question.

I could see them doing a new model/new standard type deal, where only new built busses meet the spec, but they'll never get retrofitting the old ones to pass. The government is having a hard enough time requiring older vehicles to upgrade to the current emissions, much less get them to add seatbelts.
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Old 11-12-2015, 11:14 AM   #20
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Only the filipinos here will get out of bed for less than $25 a hour.

None of them have the right license to drive bus.

Nat
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