COLUMBUS, Ohio — A task force convened by Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine in the wake of last summer's school bus crashes recommended training, driver benefits and increased safety features Wednesday, but seats It did not recommend making belts mandatory.
DeWine said at an event announcing the final report of the Ohio School Bus Safety Task Force that it will be up to each school district to decide when and how to make safety improvements. He said his office has begun discussions with the Legislature about establishing a grant fund to help school districts pay for fleet upgrades and new buses with enhanced safety.
DeWine created the task force in August after a school bus crash killed one child and injured 23 others in Lawrenceville, Clark County, about 55 miles (88.51 kilometers) southwest of Columbus.
“We know that buses are the safest way to transport children to school. That remains true,” he said Wednesday. “But when a tragedy like this happens, I think it's important to reconsider what we can do to make travel as safe as possible for our children and grandchildren.”
The working group issued 17 recommendations. Sixteen cases relate to bus driver recruitment and retention, training and education, school bus safety features, roadway and traffic safety, and emergency response.
Andy Wilson, director of the Ohio Department of Public Safety, said the group stopped short of recommending that the state require seat belts on all school buses, leaving the decision up to each school district.
“As a group, we've heard from experts, we've heard from bus drivers, we've looked at data and lack of data from states that require seat belts, and we've heard from school districts that have tried pilot programs on buses. “After hearing this, we became convinced that a statewide mandate for seat belts on buses is not the most effective use of government resources to keep our children safe.” Stated.
Ohio Department of Education and Labor Secretary Stephen Dakin said it costs about $19,000 to install seat belts on buses. By contrast, the group's other 12 safety features, including collision avoidance systems, electronic stability control, illuminated crossover mirrors, and fully illuminated stop arms front and rear, cost about $1 per bus. It will cost $3,000.
The final recommendations regarding commercial bus service addressed the second Ohio bus accident that occurred during the task force's operations. In that November accident, a charter bus carrying high school students was rear-ended by a semi-truck on an Ohio highway, killing six people and injuring 18 others.
To address private buses, the task force recommended that school districts adopt a policy requiring “a thorough evaluation of contracted commercial bus service.”
The group urges the Ohio Department of Education and Labor to develop a uniform training curriculum and local advanced training programs for public school bus drivers, and that Ohio requires drivers to receive six hours of training each year. It was recommended that The grant program DeWine has in mind would allow the state to provide training at no cost to school districts, he said.
Other recommendations include improved access to professional development, health support and regular performance reviews for bus drivers, increased engagement with parents and the public, safety audits of school zones and bus routes; These include increased penalties for drivers of other vehicles who violate traffic laws in school zones. Around the school bus.
State data shows that between 2018 and 2023, the other driver was at fault in 68% of school bus crashes that resulted in minor injuries and 80% of crashes that resulted in serious injuries. And it occurs in 75% of accidents with fatalities.
DeWine said there are about 13,000 school buses currently in service in Ohio, but districts typically replace them at a rate of perhaps one or two a year, rather than all at once. Dew. The new buses will cost about $120,000, Dakin said.
