Following considerable community concern over school bus incidents resulting in the death of, or serious injury to, school children, the Australian Transport Council (ATC) requested Austroads to review current practice and research in relation to school bus safety, and to identify new or proven safety measures that may be used as part of a national approach to school bus safety. Consequently, ARRB Transport Research was commissioned by Austroads undertake this research, with the key objective of developing a set of school bus safety recommendations that may be incorporated into a National School Bus Strategy. It is further envisaged that the strategy will underpin the development of countermeasures in each jurisdiction to maximise the safe travel of children in and around school buses. The project comprises the following major tasks: (1) an examination of the national crash data involving school buses to determine the magnitude and characteristics of the problem; (2) a review of relevant literature to determine current knowledge related to school bus safety, injury risks and effective countermeasures; (3) the identification of school bus safety programs being implemented in Australia and overseas jurisdictions; (4) a review of current accident data collection practices and procedures in Australia; and (5) consultation with community interest groups to obtain community views on school bus safety. The objective of the current paper is to report on the progress and findings of the first two components. (a) For the covering entry of this conference, please see ITRD abstract no. E202275.
Samenvatting