BENCHMARKING CANADIAN, AMERICAN

Transcription

1 BENCHMARKING CANADIAN, AMERICAN AND AUSTRALIAN BUS SAFETY Eric Hildebrnd, PhD, PEng University of New Brunswick Trnsporttion Group, Abstrct This pper summrizes the results of study tht compred the rod sfety record of the Cndin, Austrlin, nd Americn bus industries. Bus ccident rtes hve been benchmrked ginst other modes nd countries to help highlight res of concern. The primry objectives of the study were to identify criticl sfetyrelted bus issues, further refine informtion requirements, explore possible countermesures, nd to provide bsis for consulttion with stkeholders. Cnd ws shown to hve comprtively high bus ftlity rtes, prticulrly mong school nd intercity buses. Ftl school bus ccidents in Austrli were three times more likely to involve pedestrin compred to Cnd or the United Sttes. All three countries were found to lck dt concerning detils of bus type nd function t the time of the ccident, pssenger lods, nd non-collision injuries. Finlly, recent sfety inititives were identified both domesticlly nd brod nd their relevnce explored. Résumé Ce document résume les résultts d'une étude qui comprit l fiche de sécurité routière des industries d'utobus u Cnd, en Austrlie et ux Étts-Unis. Les tux d'ccident d'utobus u Cnd ont été comprés à ceux d'utres modes de trnsport et d'utres pys pour ider à cerner les problèmes. L'étude visit principlement à identifier les enjeux de sécurité pour l'industrie du trnsport pr utobus, à définir plus clirement les besoins en informtion, à explorer différentes contre-mesures possibles et, enfin, à fournir un document de fond pour l consulttion des intervennts. Au Cnd, le tux d'ccidents mortels est reltivement élevé dns l'industrie du trnsport pr utobus, prticulièrement dns les secteurs scolire et interurbin. En Austrlie, les ccidents mortels d'utobus scolires risquent d'impliquer des piétons trois fois plus souvent qu'u Cnd ou ux Étts-Unis. Les trois pys à l'étude mnquent de données détillées sur le type et l fonction des utobus u moment d'un ccident, sur leur cpcité en pssgers et sur les blessures découlnt d'ccidents sns collision. Enfin, l'étude fit mention des dernières inititives de sécurité entreprises u Cnd et à l'étrnger, et elle évlue l'utilité de chcune. 1.0 Introduction This study ws originlly undertken to help develop better understnding of the sfety issues nd where opportunities for improvement lie within the Austrlin bus industry. However, this pper presents the Cndin perspective in comprison to Austrlin nd U.S. experiences. It ws hoped tht sfety differences in the domestic bus industry could be highlighted by contrsting ccident rtes with similr countries. Bus sfety typiclly receives little ttention from policymkers except in the wke of high profile ccidents. Although collisions involving buses represent reltively smll proportion of ll Cndin motor vehicle ccidents, there re number of opportunities to reduce the csulties ssocited with this clss of motor vehicle. The linkges between the identifiction of sfety-relted issues, developing countermesures or strtegies, dopting policies/regultions, nd expending resources need to be better understood to ensure more consistent processes re followed in the future. It is hoped tht

2 more objective perspective cn be gined through retrospective nlysis of crsh sttistics nd rtes. In turn, sfety progrms nd policies cn be developed with n optiml return on investment. 1.1 Objectives The study serves to identify Cndin sfety issues for ll bus types, further refine informtion requirements, explore possible countermesures, nd to provide bsis for consulttion with stkeholders. 1.2 Method A review of previous sfety-relted bus studies ws undertken to provide bckground to the current work. Detiled nlyses of bus collision dt were conducted nd compred with similr nlyses of dt from Austrli nd the United Sttes. By benchmrking Cndin bus collision rtes nd ptterns, problemtic res could be identified nd possible countermesures explored. 1.3 Dt Sources nd References Most of the Tbles nd Figures tht follow were developed using informtion from numerous sources. While spce restrictions do not permit disclosure of complete references for figures nd tbles in this pper, detiled informtion is vilble in the recent study by Hildebrnd nd Rose (2001). It is importnt to note tht since the frequency of serious bus collisions is reltively low, there is often significnt vrince in the dt from yer to yer. It ws therefore importnt to try to generte collision rtes by using verges spnning multiple yers. For this reson, wherever possible the informtion presented in this pper is derived from verged dt from the mid nd lte 1990s. The disdvntge of this pproch is tht ny strides chieved through recent chnges in policy or stndrds becomes diluted. The Cndin Trffic Accident Informtion Dtbse (TRAID) is ntionl resource tht combines ll provincil rod collision reports for ll severities (property dmge, injury, nd ftlity). Bus ccidents within the dtset were nlyzed for ten-yer period ending 1998 to provide comprtive rtes. It should be noted tht there re mny similrities between Cnd nd Austrli tht mke comprison between bus fleet sfety pproprite (including geogrphy, demogrphic distributions nd regultory environment). A recent report published by Trnsport Cnd (1998) entitled Review of Bus Sfety Issues lso provided very good overview of the bus issues receiving most of the ttention t the federl level in Cnd. The study drws hevily on the Ftlity File developed by the Austrlin Trnsport Sfety Bureu (ATSB) (formerly the Federl Office of Rod Sfety, FORS). This dtset is composite of Stte/Territory monthly trffic collision records, coronil reports, nd medicl records. Most Ste/Territory jurisdictions do not delinete bus type (motor coch, trnsit, school, etc.) with their ccident records, but the Ftlity File uses other sources to supplement the mss dt. Chnges in the coding frmework nd compiltion process hve restricted the number of yers worth of vilble dt to 1994, 1996, nd While the Ftlity File contins extensive informtion regrding the more serious collisions, it should be noted tht so-clled sfety study must lso consider those collisions involving injuries (of ll severities) nd non-collision events resulting in injuries. This level of informtion is not currently vilble in Austrli. Although the United Sttes Deprtment of Trnsporttion hs produced number of focused bus sfety reports, their Ftl Accident Reporting System (FARS) dtbse hd to be nlyzed to provide full overview of Americn bus ccident rtes.

3 2.0 The Cndin Experience Tble 1 presents composite ten-yer verge of ftlities involving bus while delineting by type of bus involved. Type of Bus Involved Tble 1: Cndin Ftlities Involving Buses (10-yer verge; ) Ped. Ctegory of Rod User Occup. of Other Veh. Bus Occupnts Totl School Urbn Trnsit Intercity Unspecified Totl Includes 1997 Quebec tour bus ccident which climed 43 lives. Source: Trnsport Cnd, requested query of ntionl Trffic Accident In formtion Dtbse (TRAID) prepred Nov As shown, over ten-yer period, Cnd verged nerly 57 ftlities per yer relted to bus collisions. This equtes to nerly one bus relted ftlity every 6 dys. It is noteworthy tht over 80 percent of the ftlities were non-occupnts of the bus. Given the reltive mss of buses, it is not surprising tht occupnts of other vehicles represent the lrgest proportion of ftlities for ech bus ctegory. Using informtion form the sme source, Tble 2 ws prepred which summrizes the number of bus collisions by severity. Type of Bus Involved Tble 2: Cndin Collisions Involving Buses (10-yer verge; ) Collision Severity Ftl Injury Property Dmge Totl School Urbn Trnsit Intercity Unspecified Totl While the totl figures presented in Tble 1 only represent pproximtely 1.42 percent of ll Cndin rod ftlities, much more detiled review ws needed to identify specific res tht re over represented nd therefore cndidtes for some form of countermesure. Importnt fctors tht must be considered include estimtes of exposure. Proxies for exposure to the risk of n ccident commonly include number of vehicles in ech ctegory, vehicle-kilometres driven, nd pssengerkilometres. Although relevnt, fctors such s trffic volumes, conflict points (intersections, lne chnges, etc.), operting speeds, geometric chrcteristics of the rod, time of dy/night ll ply role in reltive levels of exposure they re seldom included in comprtive mesures due to lck of dt. 3.0 Modl Comprisons To better understnd whether the ccident experience of Cndin buses presented in Tbles 1 nd 2 is reltively high or low, it ws necessry to benchmrk collision rtes ginst comprble countries. As first step, collision rtes were contrsted ginst other trnsporttion modes. Mny of the comprisons tht follow include the U.S.A. nd Austrli becuse of the vilbility of pproprite dt nd given the similrities tht exist between these countries s noted erlier.

4 Figure 1 presents comprison of the proportion of trnsporttion ftlities by mode. Those killed on the highwys consistently represent the vst mjority of ftlities, rnging from 92 to 95 percent mong the three countries. As noted, totl trnsporttion ftlities in Cnd were nerly 3,300 in A more pproprite wy to contrst rod sfety mong the countries is to normlize the number of ftlities. Tble 3 presents ftlity rtes normlized on the bsis of popultion, vehicle fleet size, nd by vehicle kilometres of trvel. As shown, ll rtes compre fvourbly nd re generlly below the medin vlues for countries belonging to the Orgniztion for Economic Coopertion nd Development (OECD). It is noteworthy tht the U.S. hs disproportiontely high rte per popultion likely due to the comprtively high level of mobility tht country enjoys. However, once cr ownership nd exposure (kilometres driven) re included the rte per 100 million vehicle-kilometres is the lowest mong ll three countries. The similrities of the rtes strengthen the premise tht Cnd nd Austrli provide good bsis for comprison. Air (0.025) Wter (0.014) Ril (0.03) Tble 3: Rod Ftlity Rtes (verge for ) Austrli U.S.A. Cnd OECD Medin Per 10,000 cpit Per 10,000 reg. vehicles Per 100 million veh.-km To further contrst rod sfety mong the three subject countries, Figure 2 presents comprison of highwy ftlities delineted by different user groups. Of note re the pprent over representtion of pedestrins nd motorcyclists mong Austrli s ftlities. Given the snowbelt regions of Cnd nd the U.S. it is pproprite tht the proportion of motorcyclist ftlities would be higher in Austrli. The high proportion of pedestrin ftlities in Austrli my be ttributed, in prt, to higher concentrtion of the popultion in lrger urbn res. Cnd totl =3,294 Air (0.032) Wter (0.026) Ril (0.021) Rod (0.93) Air (0.017) Wter (0.019) Ril (0.016) Austrli totl =1,997 U.S.A. totl =44,381 Rod (0.921) Rod (0.947) Figure 1: Trnsporttion Ftlities by Mode (1997 dt)

5 pedcyclists (0.022) motorcycle (0.04) peds. (0.135) Cnd totl =3,064 occupnts (0.802) under-representtive. Interestingly, Figure 3 shows tht the percentge of bus occupnts killed in Austrli is 5 nd 8 times higher thn either Cnd or the U.S., respectively. Although these figures re not normlized for bus usge, they do suggest n over representtion of bus ftlities within Austrli. pedcyclists (0.02) motorcycle (0.103) 1.77 peds. (0.184) pedcyclists (0.019) motorcycle (0.05) peds. (0.127) Austrli totl =1,839 U.S.A. occupnts (0.693) Percent of All Rod Ftlities Aus. U.S. Cn Bus Occupnts Totl Bus Ftlities totl =42,027 occupnts (0.803) Figure 2: Ftlities by Rod User Group (1997 Dt) Finlly, the percentge of rod ftlities involving buses is presented in Figure 3. Plots for both totl bus ftlities (including pedestrins nd those in other vehicles) nd only those on bord bus re depicted. Cndin figures indicte tht 1.42 percent of rod ftlities result from collisions involving bus. This percentge is substntilly higher thn 0.81 percent experienced by the U.S. nd slightly lower thn the Austrlin proportion of 1.77 percent. Interestingly, the number of bus-kilometres reltive to totl vehicle-kilometres is only bout 0.61 percent in Cnd Trnsport Cnd, 1999). This would suggest tht buses re over represented in ftlities on per kilometre bsis. This is not completely unexpected given the reltive mss of the vehicles. However, when considering the number of pssenger-kilometres tht buses provide (pproximtely 5.6%), the ftlity rte is 4.0 Bus Collision Rtes Figure 3: Bus Ftlities Whenever bus ccident dt re nlyzed, the results sometime need to be interpreted with cution given potentilly smll frequencies nd high vrinces from yer to yer (prticulrly if deling with ftlity informtion). As noted previously, most nlyses in this pper include severl yers of dt to smooth the effect of outliers. Figure 4 illustrtes how errtic bus ftlity informtion cn be for countries like Austrli nd Cnd where totls re reltively low. Ftlly injured bus occupnts re shown to spike in 1997 s result of single ccident involving tour bus which climed 43 lives in Quebec.

6 80 those in the United Sttes. Ftlities Tble 4: Bus Ftlity Rtes Austrli U.S.A. Cnd Number of Buses (x1,000) Bus Occup Occup Other Veh. Peds. Totl Exposure (x 1,000 km./bus/yer) Popultion (x 1,000,000) Figure 4: Cndin Trends in Bus Ftlities ( ) In n effort to provide more normlized comprison of bus ccident rtes, the dt presented in Tble 4 were prepred through detiled nlyses. Bus ftlity rtes were developed on per cpit, per vehicle, nd per vehicle-kilometre bsis. These rtes were determined for both totl ftlities resulting from collision involving bus nd for bus occupnts only. Note tht totl bus ftlities include those cses where individuls re killed within the bus (s pssengers or the driver), or struck by the bus (s pedestrins, cyclists, or n occupnt of nother vehicle). Bus Ftlities -ftlities (vg. per yer) -bus occupnts (vg. per yer) Ftlity Rtes: -ftlities ( /mill.people) -bus occupnts (/mill. people) -ftlities ( /1,000 buses) -bus occupnts (/1,000 buses) -ftlities (/100 million buskm.) -bus occupnts (/100 million bus-km.) As shown, over n 11-yer period, Cnd verged 50 ftlities per yer relted to bus collisions. On per cpit bsis Austrli ws shown to hve the highest rte mong the three countries, however, when normlized on per bus nd per bus-kilometre bsis the ftlity rte ws the lowest. This trend is indictive of comprtively more extensive bus service s evidenced by greter exposure per bus (34,000 kilometres in Austrli). The number of bus occupnts killed verged 5 per yer, or pproximtely one-tenth of the totl bus ftlities. This proportion is substntilly lower thn tht in Austrli nd in line with the U.S. proportion. When normlized for popultion, bus fleet size, nd bus exposure, the Austrlin rte of ftlities mong bus occupnts remins reltively high. Cndin rtes re consistently higher thn To better illustrte the rtes presented in Tble 4, the dt were plotted in Figure 5 nd contrsted ginst rtes tht include ll clsses of rod vehicles. The figure clerly shows how buses re over represented in ftl ccidents (on per vehicle-kilometre bsis). Given tht the ftlity rtes for bus occupnts re generlly so much lower, it cn be inferred tht the csulties re lrgely nonoccupnts of the bus. Some previous bus sfety studies hve dvocted tht rtes be normlized on the bsis of pssenger-kilometres of trvel. Although this would indeed reflect the reltive risk for bus occupnts, it would misrepresent the csulties (to both occupnts nd those outside the bus)

7 generted by bus given the reltively high pssenger lods. peds. (0.11) bus driver (0.02) bus pss. (0.11) other veh. (0.62) Cnd vg. = 50/yr Ftlities (per 100 million veh.-km.) Aus. U.S. Cn Totl Bus Ftlities All Rod Vehicles Bus Occupnts other veh. (0.6) other veh. (0.39) U.S.A. vg. = 340/yr. Austrli vg. = 34/yr. peds. (0.29) bus driver (0.02) bus pss. (0.09) peds. (0.29) Figure 5: Comprtive Ftlity Rtes bus driver (0.04) bus pss. (0.28) As the dt suggest in Figure 5, the mjority of ftlities occur to individuls outside the bus (i.e., pedestrins or occupnts of other vehicles). Figure 6 depicts bus ftlities by user group for ech of the three countries being compred. Cndin proportions re shown to be consistent with those in Americ except for pedestrins who only ccount for 11 percent of bus ftlities compred to29 percent in the U.S.. It is noteworthy tht bus occupnts re over represented mong the Austrlin dt with nerly one-third of the ftlities belonging to this group compred to only 13 nd 11 percent for Cnd nd the U.S., respectively. Upon closer exmintion of the dt it ws found tht hlf of the bus pssenger ftlities occurred on long distnce coches in Austrli. Figure 6: Bus Ftlities by Rod User Group 4.1 School Bus Collision Rtes Considerble ttention hs been given to the issue of school bus sfety. Given the level of effort nd funding directed towrd school bus sfety inititives, it is essentil tht cler understnding of the issues be developed. While the recent review of Cndin bus sfety issues provides good overview of some outstnding issues (Trnsport Cnd, 1998) comprison of the Austrlin, Cnd nd U.S. experience is provided herein so tht specific problem res might be identified. Tble 5 provides detiled summry of nlyses conducted specificlly for school bus opertions. As shown, in Cnd over ten-yer period ( ) there verged just over one deth nnully to occupnts of the school bus. The Austrlin nd U.S. experience is lso comprtively low. However, ll three countries hd t lest n order of mgnitude more ftlities when

8 pedestrins nd occupnts of other vehicles re included. Tble 5: School Bus Ftlity Rtes Austrli U.S. A Cnd Number of Buses (x1,000) Exposure (x 1,000 km./bus) Bus Ftlities -ftlities (vg. per yer) -bus occupnts (vg. per yer) Ftlity Rtes: -ftlities ( / mill. people) -bus occupnts ( /mill. people) -ftlities ( /1,000 buses) -bus occupnts ( /1,000 buses) -ftlities ( /100 mill. bus-km.) -bus occupnts ( /100 mill.bus- km.) Ftlities (per 100 million veh.-km.) Aus. U.S. Cn School Bus Ftlities School Bus Occupnts Totl Bus Ftlities Figure 8: Comprtive Ftlity Rtes: School Buses Figure 9 contrsts the ftlity rtes of school bus occupnts ginst occupnts from ll bus ctegories combined. All three countries show tht school bus occupnts re significntly less likely to be ftlly injured thn those in other bus types. Nevertheless, Austrlin nd Cndin rtes re substntilly higher thn equivlent Americn rtes. 0.6 Figure 8 plots the school bus ftlity rtes from Tble 5 in ddition to comprble rtes for ll buses in generl. As shown, Cndin nd Austrlin school buses hve substntilly higher ftlity rte thn ll bus ctegories combined. The U.S. school bus rte is much lower thn tht for ll buses combined. The figure lso serves to illustrte the reltive sfety of school bus occupnts. Ftlities (per 100 million veh.-km.) Totl Bus Occupnts School Bus Occupnts Aus. U.S. Cn. Figure 9: Comprtive Occupnt Ftlity Rtes: School Buses In order to provide better understnding of the differences in school bus ccident rtes mong the three countries, Figure 10 ws developed which plots school bus ftlities by ech user group. The percentge of

9 pedestrins is much lrger in Austrli (79 percent) thn in either Cnd or the U.S. (26 percent ech). This is strtling difference which my be explined, in prt, by the differences in bording/lighting procedures between Austrlin nd North Americn school buses. Cndin nd the U.S. both hve lrge fleets of dedicted school buses equipped with red flshing lights which signl oncoming trffic to stop before children cross the rod while bording or lighting. Furthermore, the buses re equipped with comprehensive series of designed mirrors to reduce blind spots round the bus so tht the driver cn see djcent pedestrins before moving from prked position. Much ttention hs been focused on the issue of providing setbelts on school buses in North Americ nd Austrli. After reviewing Figure 10, it is cler tht this effort might be better expended in other res. peds. (0.26) peds. (0.79) peds. (0.26) Cnd vg. = 19/yr. Austrli vg. = 8 /yr. U.S.A. vg. = 119 /yr. occupnts (0.06) occupnts (0.08) other veh. (0.68) other veh. (0.13) occupnts (0.1) To explore the issue of school bus pedestrin ftlities further, the literture ws reviewed to uncover ny ptterns. The Ntionl Highwy Trffic Sfety Administrtion (NHTSA, 1999) indicted tht between 1988 nd 1998 in the U.S. of the 237 pedestrins killed where school bus ws involved, 162 (or 68 percent) were struck by the school bus itself. Similrly, Trnsport Cnd (1998) reported tht the mjority of pedestrin ftlities were struck by the school bus (37 of 46 cses, or 80 percent) between 1987 nd While Austrods (2001) does not indicte whether pedestrins were struck by the school bus or n oncoming vehicle, they imply ll, or the mjority, of the 20 ftlities (1992, 1994 nd 1996) involved n oncoming vehicle:...the typicl crsh scenrio ppers to be tht the child is on his or her wy home from school nd is unccompnied by n dult. After getting off the bus they re hit by nother vehicle in ttempting to cross 2-wy undivided rod (mid-block nd with no pedestrin crossing in the vicinity). It ppers tht in most cses the child hs ttempted to cross the rod without looking for oncoming trffic. This is n importnt finding becuse it suggests tht the pprent over representtion of Austrlin pedestrin ftlities involving school buses is due to the reltively high incidence of children being struck by oncoming trffic rther thn the school bus itself. NHTSA (1999) reported tht nerly hlf of the school bus ftlities involve those between 5 nd 7 yers of ge. Similrly, Austrods (2001) noted tht 77 percent of school bus ftlities of pedestrins involved those between the ges of 5 nd 12 yers. Clerly, there is strong correltion between the younger children being trnsported on school buses nd higher risk of being killed bording or lighting the vehicle. other veh. (0.64) Figure 10: School Bus Ftlities by Rod User Group

10 4.2 Urbn Trnsit Bus Collision Rtes Ftlities involving urbn trnsit bus opertions re summrized in Tble 6. Unfortuntely informtion on the Austrlin fleet size nd vehicle use does not exist in formt tht permits ftlity rtes to be developed for comprison with Cnd nd the U.S.. Nevertheless, ftlity rtes per cpit could be developed. As shown, Cndin rtes normlized by fleet popultions nd mileges re substntilly better thn U.S. rtes. Note, however, tht pssenger lods re not reflected in these rtes. The Austrlin ftlity rte of bus occupnts ppers to be extremely high in contrst to the other countries. Agin, cution needs to be exercised when deling with numbers of reltively low frequencies, however, more investigtion into this re is wrrnted. 4.3 Intercity Motorcoch Ftlity Rtes Long distnce coch collisions were responsible for nerly 12 percent of Cndin bus ftlities s reported in Tble 1. Tble 7 summrizes the dt for ll three countries. Given lck of Austrlin fleet dt ftlity rtes could only be developed on per cpit bsis. The Cndin ftlity rtes presented re lrmingly high compred to the U.S., prticulrly mong bus occupnts 1. Austrlin rtes pper to be extremely high, however, more informtion is needed to develop rtes on per vehicle nd per vehicle-kilometre bsis. Tble 7: Intercity Bus Ftlity Rtes Austrli U.S.A. Cnd Number of Buses (x1,000) n Tble 6: Urbn Trnsit Bus Collision Rtes Exposure (x 1,000 km./bus) n Austrli U.S.A. Cnd Number of Buses (x1,000) n Exposure (x 1,000 km./bus) n Bus Ftlities -ftlities (vg. per yer) -bus occupnts (vg. per yer) Ftlity Rtes: -ftlities (per million people) -bus occupnts ( /mill. people) -ftlities (per 1,000 buses) -bus occupnts ( /1,000 buses) n.. n.. n.. n Bus Ftlities -ftlities (vg. per yer) -bus occupnts (vg. per yer) Ftlity Rtes: -ftlities (per million people) -bus occupnts ( / mill. people) -ftlities ( /1,000 buses) -bus occupnts ( /1,000 buses) -ftlities ( /100 mill. buskm.) -bus occupnts ( /100 mill. bus- km.) n.. n.. n.. n ftlities ( /100 mill. buskm.) -bus occupnts ( /100 million bus-km.) 1 Despite hving excluded the 1997 Quebec ccident resulting in 43 ftlities.

11 5.0 Bus Sfety Issues Following review of the recent literture nd consulttion with stkeholders number of outstnding issues relted to bus sfety hve been identified. These issues re summrized in the following sections nd contrsted ginst ongoing efforts in other countries. 5.1 Bus Dt Although much insight hs been gined through the nlyses undertken in Section 4, the lck of detiled dt restricted more thorough exmintion of issues nd trends. At the most bsic level, there is much disprity regrding how different jurisdictions delinete different bus types in their police ccident reports. Trnsport Cnd (1998) noted tht except for school buses...other buses re not well defined nd re more likely to hve interchngeble or overlpping duties. Not only is the bus type n importnt nd often missing dt element, but the vehicle s use my be just s importnt. In fct, Austrlin vehicle use estimtes re delineted by bus use rther thn vehicle type. Nevertheless, most Cndin ccident reports generted by the Provinces divide buses into four groups, nmely: trnsit, intercity, school, nd other. U.S. dt hve the sme distinctions, however, they lso further define school nd trnsit buses ccording to whether they re vn-bsed. There is much disprity regrding how ech Austrlin Stte/Territory delinete different bus types. Most simply record vehicle s bus without further description. Interestingly, review of bus sfety presented to the Minister for Trnsport Victori (1991) recommended tht:...reporting rrngements for Police-reported bus ccidents be developed to record bus function (such s route, chrter, school trip, privte trip) t the time of the ccident, to llow improved identifiction of trget groups for eductionl nd other sfety inititives. It is suggested tht bus type s well s function must be recorded to permit more detiled nlyses of bus ccident/use dt. Detiled nlysis of Austrlin bus collisions typiclly must rely on more detil provided in coronil reports. Consequently, Austrlin ccident informtion for injuryonly ccidents cnnot be delineted on the bsis of bus type. Americn dt is lso somewht limited beyond tht contined in the FARS dtbse. While ftlities re n importnt spect of bus sfety, they should not be used s the sole source of informtion to llocte resources or develop policies. Without current dt, policy formultion becomes bsed on verged dt tht my not reflect recent behviour or improved opertionl procedures. Austrods (2001) identify number of dt elements not presently collected tht re needed to gin better insight into the issues surrounding school bus ccidents. They list the following specific elements tht should be collected so tht nlysts might be provided with the informtion necessry to optimize investments imed t improving school bus sfety: - pedestrin ction prior to collision -origin nd destintion of pedestrin trip -dt on secondry vehicles not directly involved in the collision (eg. presence of bus or other vehicle tht obscured visibility) -bsence of sfety mesures (flshing lights, school bus mrkings, school speed zones, proximity of pedestrin crossing, presence of crossing gurd/prent, etc.) 5.2 Bus Design Stndrds Adequte pssenger protection is s much relted to the vehicle design s it is the operting environment. While stndrds hve been developed specificlly for school buses less ttention hs been given to other bus ctegories. In fct, Cndin nd U.S. federl sfety stndrds define sfety stndrds for buses other thn school buses collectively.

12 Trnsport Cnd (1998) notes tht there re few Cndin or U.S. federl stndrds tht specificlly ddress structurl integrity of motorcoches (other thn for window retention nd glzing mterils). The U.S. Ntionl Trnsporttion Sfety Bord recently recommended tht the Ntionl Highwy Trffic Sfety Administrtion commence reserch towrd the development nd implementtion of motorcoch roof strength requirements (NTSB, 1999). The ECE sets out roof strength stndrds through its Regultion 66. The Austrlin Design Rules (ADRs) re federl sfety stndrds tht dictte the performnce nd design requirements for motor vehicle sfety. ADRs re brodly similr to those developed in the U.S. (Federl Motor Vehicle Sfety Stndrds, FMVSS) nd Cnd (Cndin Motor Vehicle Sfety Stndrds, CMVSS). As of 1991, more thn 60 percent of the ADRs were ligned with interntionl stndrds, predomintely the Economics Commission for Europe (ECE) regultions (Seyer, 1991). The stndrds pply to vehicles new to the Austrlin mrket, while the Stte nd Territory ministers re responsible for vehicles lredy in service. Following two trgic intercity coch ccidents in NSW in 1989 (Mcksville nd Kempsey) tht resulted in totl of 57 ftlities, rsh of reforms to ADRs tht pply to buses were proposed. Reforms for bus stndrds for rollover strength, improved set strength nd pdding for coches, nd speed limiting hd lredy been in development prior to the collision. The ccidents rised concerns over dditionl issues including emergency exits, lminted glss for side windows, nd the need for improved occupnt restrint Occupnt Restrints Intercity Coches North Americn stndrds hve dopted pssive restrint system for lrge coches whereby the setbcks re designed to provide cushioning function in the event of collision. NHTSA (1998) hs expressly stted tht:...there is not sfety need for sfety belts or nother type of occupnt crsh protection t these seting positions (bord commercil buses weighing more thn 10,000 pounds). Nevertheless, the Ntionl Trnsporttion Sfety Bord (NTSB, 1999) hs recommended the development of occupnt protection performnce stndrds for frontl, side, rer, nd rollover impcts involving both motorcoches nd school buses. Following the 1989 Austrlin motorcoch collisions, the ADRs were chnged to require medium to lrge coches (greter thn 3.5 tonnes) to be fitted with 3-point setbelts for ll occupnts (Brooks, 2000). The design stndrd ws implemented before ny other interntionl stndrd nd is subsequently more stringent thn the comprble ECE stndrd. This requirement does not pply to route service buses, those with less thn 17 sets, or buses where the set is mounted close to the ground (less thn 1 metre). Smller buses re treted much the sme s pssenger vehicles (3-point restrints for outbord pssengers nd t lest lp belt for others). ECE Regultion 14 specifies setbelts for pssenger sets in highwy coches, replcing n erlier guideline for setbelts only in exposed sets, usully the first row (ECE, 1999) School Buses The Cndin nd United Sttes hve lrge dedicted school bus fleets which primrily incorporte pssive restrints through their set designs (spcing, set pdding, nd setbck height), n pproch referred to s comprtmentliztion. Although there continues to be public debte over the merits of setbelts in school buses, studies hve concluded tht the pssive system provides optiml protection in light of vrying pssenger heights/weights nd seting rrngements (eg., up to three pssengers per set). A NHTSA study in the lte 1980s concluded tht School bus crsh dt show tht Federl requirement for belts on buses would provide

13 little, if ny, dded protection in crsh. Interestingly, the Austrlin ADRs do not recognize School Buses s distinct vehicle ctegory so there re no specific requirements for set belts for this clss of buses. A few jurisdictions in the U.S. nd Cnd require the instlltion of setbelts on school buses (New York, New Jersey, nd Etobicoke). Furthermore, the U.S. hs instlled setbelts on smll school buses (less thn 4536 kg GVW) since the mid 1970s. Evidence suggests tht wering rtes diminish to less thn 50 percent by the time students rech secondry school (Trnsport Cnd, 1998). A number of studies hve concluded tht there is no evidence (despite yers of experience with setbelts in smll buses in the U.S.) tht supports the use of setbelts in North Americn post-stndrd school buses (TRB, 1989, CTSR, 1989, Htfield nd Womck, 1986). Nevertheless, NHTSA is currently undertking multiyer comprehensive review of occupnt protection for school buses (NHTSA, 1998). Detiled investigtions of school bus ccidents undertken by Trnsport Cnd s multi-disciplinry ccident tems hve concluded tht mechnisms provided in school buses ccording to CMVSS 220 roof strength, CMVSS 221 joint strength nd CMVSS 222 pssenger protection function s designed resulting in very few injuries inside the school buses (Trnsport Cnd, 1989 nd 1998). Since 1998, Gret Britin hs required setbelts on ll coches nd minibuses used to trnsport children (School Trnsporttion News, 1998). It is noted, however, tht buses used to trnsport children in Gret Britin do not feture pssive restrint design s dopted in North Americ School Bus Opertions The U.S. nd Cnd hve hrmonized stndrds tht ddress the opertionl procedures for loding/unloding of school bus pssengers. A long-stnding regultion stipultes tht trffic must stop while red flshing lights signl when school bus is embrking or disembrking pssengers. A newer stndrd introduced in 1996 requires stop rms to be instlled on the driver side of the bus to reinforce the necessity for other trffic to stop. Some jurisdictions lso require wrning period of flshing mber lights to precede flshing red lights ( soclled eight lmp system). In 1997 Trnsport Cnd introduced regultion for school buses to hve more complex mirror system fitted to extend the driver s view of blind spots (Trnsport Cnd, 1998). The United Sttes hve lso recently dopted similr regultion. Crossing control rms re currently instlled on bout hlf of ll North Americn school buses nd re required by some jurisdictions (Specilty Mnufcturing, 1998). The rms re mounted on the front bumper of the vehicle nd force pedestrins crossing in front of the bus into more direct vision field for the driver. Considertion is lso being given to the instlltion of retro-reflective mrkings on school buses to increse their conspicuity. A similr regultion hs been dopted in both the U.S. nd Cnd for hevy trucks. The Austrods study (2001) of school bus sfety commissioned by the Austrlin Trnsport Council (ATC) lerned tht there re mny differences mong the Stte/Territory sfety progrms nd policies relted to school buses. Some of the more contentious issues re highlighted below. Note tht policies re in some cses less stringent for nondedicted school bus opertions. It is interesting to note differences between North Americn policies nd those in Austrli especilly in light of the ccident experiences previously contrsted in Section Vehicle Design: Although ll jurisdictions require school bus signs on the vehicle, there is gret vrince of requirements for flshing lights, hzrd lights, dditionl cross-view mirrors, setbelts, nd rollover protection. (Note: for nondedicted school bus service, SA, WA, nd QLD do not require bus signs).

14 No Austrlin jurisdiction requires the following devices common in North Americ: high bck sets, mechnicl crossing rms/brriers, or stop sign rms. 2. User Sfety: All jurisdictions provide eductionl progrms for school children nd bus drivers. Furthermore, prents, techers, motorists, nd preschoolers re trgeted by ll jurisdictions except ACT nd NT. A fundmentl procedurl difference exists between jurisdictions regrding pssing trffic hving to slow/stop when school buses re stopped to llow children to bord/light. WA, QLD, nd NT do not require motorists to slow/stop, while VIC requires ction only in specified speed zones. 3. Rod Environment All jurisdictions hve developed guidelines for school bus stop loctions nd routes. SA nd QLD hve undertken school bus route udits, while WA nd VIC re considering implementing like schemes. NSW nd WA hve restricted operting speeds of school buses. Only ACT prohibits 3 for 2" seting (TAS does not llow the prctice for excursions), while ll jurisdictions permit students to stnd when there re no longer seting positions. Following the consulttion process, comprehensive Action Pln hs been proposed. The Action Pln identifies mny detiled strtegies for rod users, vehicles, nd the rod environment. In essence, the pln ttempts to hrmonize policies/prctices mong the Sttes/Territories by incorporting s mny bestprctice sfety-relted inititives s possible. A criticism of the Action Pln is tht the recommendtions re llencompssing thereby setting wht some view s n unrelistic gend. 5.3 Regultions for Bus Driving Hours While most jurisdictions set limits of work during specific periods of time, they do not recognize the dngers of soclled inverted duty-sleep periods currently under study by the FHWA (NTSB, 1999). The ATSB, NRTC, nd New Zelnd re working with recent drivers hours reserch from the U.S. in n effort to perhps develop more flexible frmework for drivers tht is not s dependent on the 24-hour clock to which the current model is bsed. 5.4 Non-Collision Injuries It ws previously noted tht nlysts typiclly must rely on ftlity sttistics to delinete the issues/needs relted to bus sfety since detiled informtion is often not vilble for injury-only collisions. Although somewht dted, U.K. study (Johnson, 1977) found tht 86 percent of injuries to bus pssengers occur under non-collision circumstnces. There is no reson to believe similr distribution doesn t exist in Cnd. Johnson indicted tht 57 percent occurred under norml conditions (mostly during bording/lighting or stopping) while the remining 29 percent resulted from n emergency ction tken by the driver (eg., swerve to void collision). This is stggering finding when one considers tht few, if ny, of these injuries would be cptured by police ccident report. In theory, if the bus is moving while such n injury occurs, it should be cptured by police ccident report. In prctice, such instnces re seldom reported. If one is to consider bus sfety, non-collision injuries must be prt of the bseline of informtion. 6. Summry Some of the key findings of this study include: The Cndin bus ftlity rte (expressed per buskilometre) is nerly three times tht of ll rod vehicles combined nd more thn double tht experienced in Austrli.

15 Cnd ws found to hve the highest school bus ftlity rte (expressed per bus-kilometre) of ll three countries; despite the lck of ntionl school bus stndrds in Austrli. The Cndin school bus ftlity rte is even higher thn tht for ll buses combined. Austrlin school bus ftlities re three times more likely to involve pedestrin thn in Cnd or the United Sttes. Cndin trnsit ftlity rtes re substntilly lower thn those in either the U.S. or Austrli. The proportion of pedestrins ftlly injured in Cndin bus ccidents is less thn hlf the proportion in either the U.S. or Austrli. None of the preceding nlyses were ble to include pssenger lods to develop ccident rtes on pssenger-kilometre bsis. When studying the reltive sfety of bus occupnts, this is perhps the most pproprite mesure prticulrly when exmining bus occupnt csulty rtes. The lck of good dt describing pssenger lods, vehicle type/use, nd injuries resulting from non-collisions precludes fuller understnding of the sfety issues. The study by Hildebrnd nd Rose (2001) showed tht shuttle or mini-buses were involved in collisions responsible for nerly 20 percent of Austrlin bus ftlities. Furthermore, the dt suggest tht this clss of bus might lso be over represented in personl injury collisions. Little is currently known bout the circumstnces of these collisions (eg., restrint use, hire/drive, etc.) or whether this rte is over representtive given the number of vehicles in this ctegory nd exposure. The North Americn picture is eqully uncler. More detiled nlyses of this segment of the bus industry re required. 7. References Austrlin Brodcsting Corp ortion, School Bus Crsh Prompts Set Belt Investigtion, s ppered online t on Jnury 30, Austrlin Bureu of Sttistics, Survey of Motor Vehicle Use, report , twelve months ended 31 July 1999, Cnberr, July Austrlin Bureu of Sttistics, Motor Vehicle Census, report , Cnberr, October Austrlin Trnsport Sfety Bureu, The Drft Ntionl Rod Sfety Strtegy 2000, October 2000, s ppered online t strtegy/strtegy.cfm December, Austrods, School Bus Sfety in Austrli, project RS.SS.C.018, to be published by Austrods Incorported, Sydney, NSW, in Brooks, Chris, Austrlin Trnsport Sfety Bureu, Re serch M ngement nd Strtegy Brnch, correspondenc e December 7, Centre of Trnsporttion Studies nd Reserch, School Bus Accident Investigtions, New Jersey Institute of Technology, ECE, Belt Systems in Pssenger Coches, pper Number 96-S11-W-29. Htfield, N.J. nd K.N. Womck, Sfety Belts on School Buses: The Texs Experience, Texs A&M University, Texs Trnsporttion Institute, Hildebrnd, E.D., nd G.Rose, Austrlin Bus Sfety: Insight nd Issues, Institute of Trnsport Studies, Working Pper 01-15, ISSN , Monsh University, Melbourne, Austrli, Mrch Institute of Trnsport Studies, Trnsport Mngement Course in Bus nd Coch Opertions; Subject 3101 Introduction to Bus nd Coch Opertions: Legisltion, Sfety nd Mintennce, Monsh University, Februry, Johnson, M.A., Some Chrcteristics of Buses nd Pssengers Involved in Stge Crrige Service Accidents, Ntionl PSV Accident Survey -Interim Dt, report #K44512, Motor Industry Reserch Assocition, Nuneton, Wrwickshire, Englnd, December 1977.

16 Lm, H., Review of Bus Sfety in Austrli, finl yer project, Deprtment of Civil Engineering, Monsh University, October Ntionl Highwy Trffic Sfety Administrtion, School Bus Reserch Pln, Docket Number NHTSA , Wshington, D.C., Ntionl Highwy Trffic Sfety Administrtion (NHTSA), Trffic Sfety Fcts 1998, Ntionl Center fro Sttistics nd Anlysis, Wshington, Ntionl Highwy Trffic Sfety Administrtion (NHTSA), Setbelts on School Buses, s ppered online t elt.hmp.html, Jnury, Trnsport Cnd, Review of Bus Sfety, TP 13330E, Ottw, Cnd, November Trnsport Cnd, Cndin Vehicle Survey Qurter 4, 1999, TP13627E, Ctelogue no. 53F0004XIE, Ottw, ON, Trnsporttion Reserch Bord, Specil Report 222: Improving School Bus Sfety, Wshington, Ntionl Reserch Council, 1989., Review of Bus Sfety, Working Prty Report to Minister for Trnsport, Victori, Ntionl Rod Trnsport Commission, Voluntry Modifiction of Existing Buses & Coches, developed jointly with the Federl Office of Rod Sfety nd the Austrlin Bus nd Coch Assocition, ISBN , published Ntionl Rod Trnsport Commission, Bus Productivity Projects, s ppered online t December, Ntionl Trnsporttion Sfety Bord, Highwy Specil Investigtion Report -Selective Motorcoch Issues, PB , Wshington, D.C., Ntionl Trnsporttion Sfety Bord, Sfety Recommendtion H Through h-99-54, report HS , Wshington, D.C., November Seyer, K., Austrlin Design Rules: Improving Bus Sfety, SAE-Austrlsi, My 1991, pp School Trnsporttion News, The United Kingdom Requires Setbelts for School Trnsport, 1998, s ppered online t December Specilty Mnufcturing Compny, "Sfety Gurd Crossing Control Arms", The Advertiser, School Bus Driver Dies, s ppered online t Jnury 30, Trnsport Cnd, Bckground Pper on School Bus Occupnt Protection in Cnd, TP8013, Ottw, Cnd, 1989.