Topic: First Student commercial

[erich]

Do you know that commercial for First Student school bus drivers?
"Before I became a driver I was a concierge, a school teacher, a stay-at-home mom...Anyone can become a school bus driver!"

So take just about anyone, with no special talent or background, give them minimal training, and then entrust them with our children in a 10 ton vehicle?

[johngenx]

Yup.  Though, statistically, school buses are damned safe.  The buses themselves look like POS, but are actually brutes thanks to the high frame and car-crushing weight.  I'd prefer if they all had seatbelts (many here don't) but a trip in a big yellow bus isn't the crazy dangerous thing many folks think.

[Fobroader]

Do you know that commercial for First Student school bus drivers?
"Before I became a driver I was a concierge, a school teacher, a stay-at-home mom...Anyone can become a school bus driver!"

So take just about anyone, with no special talent or background, give them minimal training, and then entrust them with our children in a 10 ton vehicle?

Our neighbor is a part time/stay at home mom and a bus driver, she does alright in handling that beast. I can't remember the last time I heard about kids dying on one of those, so really, statistically they are safe.

[aquadorhj]

Do you know that commercial for First Student school bus drivers?
"Before I became a driver I was a concierge, a school teacher, a stay-at-home mom...Anyone can become a school bus driver!"

So take just about anyone, with no special talent or background, give them minimal training, and then entrust them with our children in a 10 ton vehicle?

nobody's born with talent or background for driving a bus.   same goes for driving Semi trucks or armoured trucks or even regular cars..

everybody does it with minimal training, so what's so special about this one?   as long as someone's physically able and mentally appreciative of the responsibility of driving kids, why not?

[quadzilla]

For a second I thought this was going to be about....

http://www.citynews.ca/2014/09/22/exclusive-mother-claims-a-niqab-wearing-school-bus-driver-poses-a-safety-risk/

[Noto]

Yup.  Though, statistically, school buses are damned safe.  The buses themselves look like POS, but are actually brutes thanks to the high frame and car-crushing weight.  I'd prefer if they all had seatbelts (many here don't) but a trip in a big yellow bus isn't the crazy dangerous thing many folks think.

I have 42 clients (from a single rollover) that would quite like to argue otherwise...

[tooscoops]

odds are pretty low. just seems horrible because of the scenario. considering how many kids are on buses every day, there is a very small incidence of injury that a trained driver could prevent.

as mentioned... i'd say put seat belts, better padding and such on before demanding the drivers are something special. cheaper to modify the building procedure than get drivers who would demand higher pay.

does seem crazy... but that's the way it is... it's like day care and other child care... crap pay = not great workers... for our most cherished possessions?... seriously?

[pi314]

It was explained to me that the rationale for not having seat belts is in the event the bus needs to be evacuated, it's much much faster when the kids are not buckled in

[HeliDriver]

It was explained to me that the rationale for not having seat belts is in the event the bus needs to be evacuated, it's much much faster when the kids are not buckled in

And seat belts are only useful if they're worn properly - snug and low on the hips. I'm not sure a bunch of sleeping/slouching/spinning around kids all tangled up in loose-fitting seat belts would be any safer.

[pi314]

not to mention the backpacks they all carry.. in any case I don't think it'd be a net benefit.

[johngenx]

We don't place much value on people that work with our children.  Child care workers are among the lowest paid people in the nation.

[johngenx]

I have 42 clients (from a single rollover) that would quite like to argue otherwise...

But it's a rare occurrence...


...especially given the number of kids per day that are bused somewhere.

[Noto]

I have 42 clients (from a single rollover) that would quite like to argue otherwise...

But it's a rare occurrence...


...especially given the number of kids per day that are bused somewhere.

The problem with quoting statistics is that you stop considering the minority.  How'd that work out for the world so far?

Only 13 people died as a result of GM's faulty ignition switch...yet there was a kind of a big deal made out of that...and Toyota's "unintended" acceleration?  1 person apparently died, and an even bigger deal was made of that.  Statistics are inherently flawed.

If a bus were driving normally and was T-boned by a Mack truck, yeah, that's a "rare" occurrence that you cannot adequately plan for.  My 42 clients were on a ski trip on a school bus, none of which are ever equipped with snow tires, and are known to be awful in the snow.  That doesn't really matter though, since the accident was caused by the driver trying to take an off-ramp at a speed that was inappropriate for the conditions.

Summary: we should have higher standards for school bus drivers.  Not necessarily saying that "only the elite can apply," but give better training to them.

[pi314]

I have 42 clients (from a single rollover) that would quite like to argue otherwise...

But it's a rare occurrence...


...especially given the number of kids per day that are bused somewhere.

The problem with quoting statistics is that you stop considering the minority.  How'd that work out for the world so far?

Only 13 people died as a result of GM's faulty ignition switch...yet there was a kind of a big deal made out of that...and Toyota's "unintended" acceleration?  1 person apparently died, and an even bigger deal was made of that.  Statistics are inherently flawed.

If a bus were driving normally and was T-boned by a Mack truck, yeah, that's a "rare" occurrence that you cannot adequately plan for.  My 42 clients were on a ski trip on a school bus, none of which are ever equipped with snow tires, and are known to be awful in the snow.  That doesn't really matter though, since the accident was caused by the driver trying to take an off-ramp at a speed that was inappropriate for the conditions.

Summary: we should have higher standards for school bus drivers.  Not necessarily saying that "only the elite can apply," but give better training to them.

Then you'll have to pay them more, as they become more specialized.
I'm not averse to that line of thinking either - if we reduce accidents by any meaningful rate the money will probably be saved over the long run (though fewer claims for you )

[Noto]

Then you'll have to pay them more, as they become more specialized.
I'm not averse to that line of thinking either - if we reduce accidents by any meaningful rate the money will probably be saved over the long run (though fewer claims for you )

I didn't say make them more specialized.  I said give them more on-the-job training.  Pay them for more training hours, but it's not making them any more specialized - I'm not putting them behind the wheel of a military truck after this.

I'd be fine with fewer MVA claims.
...on to slip/trip n' falls

[mmret]

Only 13 people died as a result of GM's faulty ignition switch...yet there was a kind of a big deal made out of that...and Toyota's "unintended" acceleration?  1 person apparently died, and an even bigger deal was made of that.  Statistics are inherently flawed.

No, statistics are subjugated by politics.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

They've done crash testing with school buses equipped with seatbelts. Even when worn properly, which could never be guaranteed in practice, the end result was higher rates of neck and back injuries. Buses with padded seatbacks and no belts were better, but only in crashes where the bus didn't roll.

The conclusion was that school buses would need to be completely re-engineered and built at a much higher cost, which made them unaffordable to most school districts, so the plan for safer buses was shelved. Given the statistically low accident and death rates, it was a rational decision at the time.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

Only 13 people died as a result of GM's faulty ignition switch...yet there was a kind of a big deal made out of that...and Toyota's "unintended" acceleration?  1 person apparently died, and an even bigger deal was made of that.  Statistics are inherently flawed.

No, statistics are subjugated by politics.

Exactly. Life without risk is a fantasy sold by politicians.