As the saying goes, the best days of anyone’s life are those spent at school – and fun bus journeys are undoubtedly an important part of that. From weekday commutes and journeys to sports fixtures, to trips abroad and recreational visits, the school bus plays a central role making memories for students.
But transporting students around safely is a huge responsibility. Leading educational insurer Zurich Municipal has seen liability claims for school bus accidents exceed the £1m mark so it’s important that schools carry out the relevant safety checks to ensure everyone stays safe on-board.
But ensuring you’re ready for the worst – and doing everything to try and prevent it – can be bewildering for school leaders because you’re anticipating an unknown. Here’s a guide to what you should look out for:
Are your drivers properly trained?
Anyone driving a school bus must be properly trained and possess the appropriate driving license. Currently, many schools use a nationally recognised scheme for the assessment of minibus drivers run by the Community Transport Association known as the Minibus Driver Awareness Scheme (MiDAS). The scheme provides tuition in both the classroom and the driver’s seat. Schools that sign up to MiDAS are also required to send qualified drivers for a refresher course every four years.
It’s important to remember that qualified drivers must be rested and never drive when tired. It is recommended that drivers rest for 15 minutes after every two hours of continuous driving, and that two drivers are designated for long journeys.
When travelling abroad, drivers should prepare all necessary documents for crossing borders in advance, and familiarise themselves with the motoring laws and regulations of the countries they will travel in.
Would you know how to handle an accident?
Due to the size of the vehicle and the number of people involved, accidents involving school buses are some of the most dangerous road traffic incidents so it’s important that you know what to do.
If a school bus has an accident, it is essential that emergency services are called immediately. The most important thing that staff and supervisors who are on the scene can do is to make sure all parties are safe and that all students are accounted for. Children do not always react to crashes in the same way as adults, and some injuries can go undetected unless examined by healthcare professionals, so it’s important to ensure all people at the scene are properly attended to.
Following this, the damage to the school vehicle should be assessed and as many details as possible should be collected. Use smartphones with cameras to capture evidence of damage, and log witness reports immediately. If the incident involves another party, their details – such as name, license plate number and insurance – should be sought immediately. It is also important to note down the date, time and location of the accident.
Collecting this sort of information can often be the last thing a teacher or supervisor wants to do following a stressful incident like a traffic accident, but the more detail schools can provide their insurers with, the quicker it will be to assess claims. It will also help prevent insurance fraud such as “cash for crash” too.
Top tips
Whether staff and/or students are travelling to or from school – or visiting another institution for a sporting fixture – schools have a duty of care for everyone that uses their transport. Here’s a quick round up of what you need to know:
Safety on board
- Students should be supervised and aware of how they are expected to behave.
- Luggage should be stored safely with maximum weight limits adhered to.
- Fire extinguishers and first aid kits should be accessible on the bus (and changed or replenished when required).
Legal requirements
- Seatbelts should be provided and used by all passengers. Students under 135cm tall or less than 12 years old must use special child seatbelts.
- Passengers with disabilities or special requirements should only be carried in suitable vehicles.
- Minibuses must be fitted with a tachograph (a device fitted to the vehicle to record information about driving time, speed and distance), as required by law. Drivers must also understand how speed limiters affect the way the vehicle can be safely driven.
Making your vehicle roadworthy
- All school buses should be frequently assessed and serviced – all details of risk assessments and repairs should be recorded.
- All vehicles should be taxed, correctly licensed and have an up-to-date MOT.
- Carry out and record routine checks before each journey. These assessments should examine basic roadworthiness – fuel and oil levels, tyre pressure, light functionality – as well as more critical problems, such as engine malfunction.
- Students, staff and the responsible driver should be covered by the vehicle’s insurance – additional cover should be purchased for exceptional journeys, such as trips abroad.
For more information or guidance relating to safety on school buses please contact Zurich Municipal at info@zurichmunicipal.com.
