School Bus Driver Safety Competition

Did you know that there is such a thing? I think that I have heard of this activity before but I never really paid much attention to it. Apparently, there is such a thing as the School Bus Driver Safety Competition. The name pretty much explains what the activity is about, doesn’t it?

One thing that I can say about this competition is that it gives parents like me some degree of assurance that the people driving my children to and from school are well-trained and that they are very much aware of the safety needs involved in their jobs. We have heard of one story too many wherein a child has been hurt due to the inattention or negligence of a school bus driver. Perhaps, we haven’t realized that school bus drivers are in fact doing their best to do an excellent job as well.

My attention was turned to this idea when I read an article at The Sentinel. The feature article was all about a Cumberland Valley bus driver, who is moving on to the state level of the competition. Eric Bloser is the distinguished driver, and he had to go through a battery of tests to win at the local level. The Sentinel reports:

The competition consists of a series of skills tests and a written exam, all based on abilities and knowledge that a driver would probably have from day-to-day experience.

But that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

“It’s an honor for a person to be a winner in the competition,” said Richard Deitch, member of the Pennsylvania School Bus Association board of directors.

More important than the prestige, doing well in the competition is important, because the skills it tests are the ones drivers use every day.

“It tests their skills on driving the bus,” Deitch said, who drives for Miller and Sons of Churchtown.

The written part is easier, because some of the questions are about driving rules that are the same for buses and cars, Bloser said.

By contrast, the hardest test is the “bugged bus,” where participants have to find the five broken or missing parts of a bus, ranging from absent belts to a loose lug nut in a rear wheel.

I really like this idea. I am sure that bus drivers yearn for the distinction of winning this competition. More than that, however, it is one way of ensuring that our bus drivers are the best and that they know what to do in most every situation that they face while on the job.

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