What is wrong with bus drivers?

[Heel n Toe]

Seems like a bad time in history to be riding a bus... tour busses, school busses, any of 'em.
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Bus driver arrested in fatal crash that killed 6 children in Tennessee

The driver of a school bus that crashed, killing at least six children and injuring dozens, has been arrested, authorities in Chattanooga, Tennessee, said.
On Monday afternoon, a school bus carrying 35 students from Woodmore Elementary School slammed into a tree and split apart. Chattanooga Police Chief Fred Fletcher described the incident as "an absolute nightmare for this community."

At least five children died on the scene, and one died at a hospital, said a spokeswoman from the Hamilton County District Attorney's Office.

Bus driver arrested in fatal crash that killed 6 children in Tennessee - CNN.com

The driver in this incident, Johnthony Walker, 24, has been charged with five counts of vehicular homicide, reckless endangerment and reckless driving.

And his eyes look a little red in that mug shot... I'm sure he wasn't driving while stoned, though.

[Holger]

"Johnthony"? Sorry, but ...

[black73]

This is so tragic. I would guess that the quality of bus drivers is directly linked to the rate of pay. But that's just a guess. Another one turned over on I-65 just last week. I don't think there were any serious injuries on that one.

[widgeon13]

Do they do background checks on school bus drivers?

Very sad story.

[GH85Carrera]

He had to be hauling buns to hit a tree that hard.

I always wonder why buses don't have seat belts. It likely would have saved some lives if the kids were belted in. Of course driving carefully will save even more.

[Holger]

In Sweden they do have seatbelts.

And of course those busses should have datarecording!

[MBAtarga]

Originally Posted by Holger

In Sweden they do have seatbelts.

And of course those busses should have datarecording!

To my knowledge, seatbelts are NOT standard on US school buses.

From the article linked: Fletcher said "a warrant has been issued to remove the informational box on the school bus and review the video."

[Oh Haha]

Seatbelts are not mandatory in the US but there is a push to change that.

Tragic story. I can't imagine what those parents are going through. My kids don't ride a bus as we are close to their schools.

My first thought when I saw the pics was that the bus had to have been pretty fast to wrap around the tree like it did.

[recycled sixtie]

Most of the school bus drivers I see are older women and men. 24 years old seems to be very young to drive a school bus. My heart goes out to the parents of the deceased children.

[Macroni]

Tragic......

[wdfifteen]

I have a friend who was a truck driver for a few years, then a charter bus driver for a while. She learned to drive her father's grain truck when she was 16 and was hauling grain around Illinois (farm use permit) by age 18, hauling grain to ports in Houston at 21. She finished college and was done driving by the age of 25 or 26. She basically said driving truck is what you do when you are too dumb to do anything else.
She's funny to listen to - they have their own language. She says, " I was driving truck at 16," but says, "I was a bus driver ..." I don't know why being a truck driver is referred to as "driving truck" but being a bus driver is referred to as, "being a bus driver."

[PorscheGAL]

I have my school bus license.

Getting a license to drive a bus is not easy for most people in that you not only need to take written tests but must also do a full inspection of the bus you will be driving and a driving test that includes parallel parking. The inspection includes checking fluids, belts, tires, suspension and more. Laws regarding the licensing of bus drivers is done on the federal level.

In our area, the schools do background checks. Average pay for driving for a daycare $15/hr. Average to drive for a school district 27-30K/year with benefits.

[GG Allin]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I have a friend who was a truck driver for a few years, then a charter bus driver for a while. She learned to drive her father's grain truck when she was 16 and was hauling grain around Illinois (farm use permit) by age 18, hauling grain to ports in Houston at 21. She finished college and was done driving by the age of 25 or 26. She basically said driving truck is what you do when you are too dumb to do anything else.
She's funny to listen to - they have their own language. She says, " I was driving truck at 16," but says, "I was a bus driver ..." I don't know why being a truck driver is referred to as "driving truck" but being a bus driver is referred to as, "being a bus driver."

I drove a truck for ten years. It was nice to have my mind to myself. Still work in the industry. I'd like to go back and drive for 6 months just to get some mental rest.

I'd like to know what the details are with this crash. Sounds like he was just going way too fast, but why?

[Heel n Toe]

The school bus, which had dozens of children onboard, was barreling down a narrow and winding road Monday afternoon, according to an arrest affidavit.

"Mr. Walker lost control of the bus and swerved off of the roadway to the right, striking an elevated driveway and mailbox, swerved to the left and began to overturn, striking a telephone pole and a tree," the affidavit says.

Witness statements and physical evidence showed that Walker was traveling "at a high rate of speed, well above the posted speed limit of 30 mph," according to the affidavit.

http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/22/us/tennessee-chattanooga-school-bus-accident/index.html

My wife told me she heard he had been drinking, but I don't see anything about that in that article.

[silverc4s]

apparently seat belts are required in school buses in 6 states, mostly in the North East US. Its about cost, right? Same as the salary for drivers. We get the safety we pay for. Very sad for everyone. Pray for the families, and the survivors, scarred for years to come.

[Heel n Toe]

Not sure how much seatbelts would've helped in this case... judging by the looks of it, at least some of the students were probably crushed.



Studies have been done showing seatbelts being a good thing on school busses, but of course, there will be accidents in which students will die because they couldn't get them off in time to get out, like in case of fire or being submerged.

But... like with cars and trucks, the greater good always goes with being belted in as dying because you're belted in is 1 in 10,000 odds.

And kids being belted in would cut down on discipline problems somewhat also. Ask any school bus driver.

[craigster59]

Now they are reporting he asked the kids "Are you ready to die?" as hen sped up.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Now they are reporting he asked the kids "Are you ready to die?" as hen sped up.

That's what I heard too...sped up and intentionally swerved into the tree. If so, he is a sicko .

FWIW, back when dinosaurs roamed and I was in school, I think you only had to be 17 here to drive a school bus....I remember some of my rural cousins driving them while they were in hs.

Tragic....I can't imagine how those parents are coping...

[Heel n Toe]

Maybe those kids had been bullying him in recent weeks. Shame on them.

[Otter74]

What's wrong with bus drivers? Nothing, per se. They almost uniformly receive a lot more training than 'regular' drivers, and their job depends to some extent on how they drive. I am broadly familiar with the training regimen for CTA bus drivers (Chicago) and it is pretty rigorous. The safety record of school buses has been an excellent one, and this has been based in substantial part on how they are driven. This was tragic but seems rather an exception to the norm for school bus drivers.