OCR Text |
Show School Bus Safety List Set By Road Commission The State Road Commission of Utah, meeting In Cedar City, tentatively approved a set of minimum standards for Utah school buses. The standards will now be submitted to the state archivist for public review and comment before final adoption. The school bus standards are Intended to provide Utah school children with the maximum safety possible within the available school bus technology and funds. The standards were developed by the Office of Traffic Engineering and Safety of the Utah State Department of Highways and Fred Wagner, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Utah, under the cognizance of a committee of school district transportation personnel, local representatives of school bus suppliers, and representatives of other state agencies. State law gives the commission the responsibility for setting these standards. Most of the standards apply to new buses, but If these standards are finally adopted by the road commission, they will require older buses to be retrofitted with two safety devices. Seat backs in all school buses will have to be padded to protect students thrown forward by an accident or panic stopping. Also, all school buses will have to be equipped with advance warning flashing amber lights to be activated as the bus slows down to load or unload students. The new standards cover all aspects of school bus design from construction of the bus frame to placement of the gas tank. |