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Safety Corner•by Louie Maiello•November 23, 2015

Key Steps to Managing Left-Turning Buses and Pedestrian Safety

Bus operators are not blindfolded. Operators are trained and required to identify potential hazards, based on their forward planning skills. With regard to left turns, these so called “blind spots” are really areas behind the left A-pillar/mirror that are “temporarily” obstructed to the operator, not blind to the operator. The key here is for the operators to utilize their observation and forward planning skills to minimize the time that their vision is temporarily obstructed. The pedestrian that regrettably becomes a victim of bus contact should be in the clear view of the operator long before arriving at the location where the contact occurred. Pedestrians are not “coming out of nowhere!"

Safety Corner•by Steve Mentzer•November 11, 2015

How Effective Scanning Helps Bus Operators See Potential Driving Hazards

The world is a very busy place. We rely on our eyes to provide us with information that will keep us from harm as we operate our vehicles. It is difficult to over-emphasize the importance of effective scanning in order to recognize potential hazards early enough so appropriate action can be taken to avoid conflict. As a result, we spend a lot of time advising operators how often they should scan their mirrors, where to look for hazards, and how to bring objects into view that may be temporarily obstructed, and so on.

News•by Staff•July 9, 2015

Minneapolis Metro bus driver retires with 42 accident-free years

Jerry Olson credits his years of safe driving by making sure he leaves plenty of room for his bus and enough room between him and other vehicles to make decisions in the case of emergencies.

Safety Corner•by Steve Mentzer•June 8, 2015

Recognizing a Job Well Done at Your Bus Operation

In most organizations, 80% to 95% of all bus operators are found to be safe, reliable and courteous, but often, they don’t know it because nobody tells them. If safe bus operation represents a core value for your property, what are you leaders doing to encourage and reinforce the desired behaviors among your bus operators?