Taming the school bus monster
His piece no doubt jolted me to a text message I received a fortnight from a colleague from one of the media houses which gave me grey hair – “My complain is that my son told me last week that he heard the driver of their school bus lamenting to someone that he was being […]
His piece no doubt jolted me to a text message I received a fortnight from a colleague from one of the media houses which gave me grey hair – “My complain is that my son told me last week that he heard the driver of their school bus lamenting to someone that he was being forced to manage the bus without brakes. My children are concerned. I am also. The school (name withheld) is based in Abijo, Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State. I didn’t accost them because they will deny it and also to protect the identity of my son. This is my problem. I want a searchlight beamed around the school and others in that axis,” he lamented.
When I got this text, my first hunch was to call on the Federal Road Safety Corps Command in Lekki to embark on an impromptu check on the mechanical state of all school buses in that area. This was jointly done with the Vehicle Inspection Officers with the compliment of Patrick Adenusi of Safety Beyond Borders, a Lagos- based Non-Governmental Organisation in road safety. Even though this response was swift as requested, I am worried just like every responsible parent on the compromising tendencies of school proprietors and their drivers. My worry is piqued against the background of recent happenings involving school children whose safety the United Nations insist must never be mortgaged. Of course I recollect the event of May 11, 2011 along this same Lekki axis captured thus in the media: “an eye witness account says the accident was caused by the driver of the school bus who was said to have navigated a bend to the major road at a very high speed, thereby crashing into other vehicles moving on the busy road at Awoyaya area of Lekki, Lagos.” In this crash, there were deaths caused by the mistake of one irresponsible driver whose daily comprises are tacitly endorsed by some school owners and proprietors whose concern is more about profit, than the safety of children entrusted to their care by parents who pay huge sum for these wards.
I also recollect a sour development while in Lagos as Sector Commander when I accosted a school bus driven by a half-fit or, better put, physically-challenged driver employed by one of the high flying schools in Ikeja, Lagos State. These unfortunate developments are the reasons why I wish to focus on the yet to be implemented safety standards for school buses as approved by the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON). Since the alarm that prompted this piece was the report of a driver operating a school bus without any braking system, I will treat some specific standards not in the order of any preferences and quote part of what the Standards says about school buses and brakes. Before I do that, let me state here that under the guidelines, not all vehicles are meant to be used for this purpose as is presently the case. There are approved types; numbering Type ‘A’ 1 to Type ‘C’ which specifically deal with the bus capacity ranging from 18bpersons to 72bpersons. It further states that the school bus must have an operators permit and must be registered with commercial number plate; uniformly coloured and the exterior too is to have a yellow (Hexadecimal colour code:FFFF00) background with two white stripes (3cm), spaced by 2cm running from the bonnet upwards across the roof down the backend; school bus is to be conspicuously marked “School Bus” above the windscreen, close to the bus roof; the school buses are to be equipped with well-displayed reflective colour materials or stripes and markings to enhance safety; among others.
Secondly, it further provides for a competitive selection process for school bus driver and assistant drivers who must undergo general medical fitness test and alcohol/drug test to ascertain the level of alcohol/drug usage which is to be repeated annually to ensure clean bill of health; they are to equally undergo mandatory mental health and acuity test which record must be maintained for future references; they must possess no criminal record of indictment or jail term; both must have a minimum of five years driving experience with a minimum academic qualification of Junior School Certificate (JSS3) and Trade Test (111) certificate. The Standards specifies that school bus operators are to operate a safety unit with a safety manager if it has five fleet and above in line with the Road Transport Safety Standardization Scheme.
For the braking system of school buses which prompted this piece, it states that “The anti-lock brake system (ABS) provided in accordance to the specifications on brake, shall provide wheel speed sensors for each front wheel and axle. The system shall provide anti-lock braking performance for each wheel equipped with sensors (four-channel system). There are other details on brakes but let me state here that it also focuses on the installation of emergency exits based on the specified type; for example, a type A, B and C which carry 0-42 passengers or 43-78 passengers should have one emergency exit per side and one roof hatch for the first or 2 emergency exits per side and two roof hatches for the second. Conscious of the value of seat belt usage in redressing road crashes, seat belt standards is emphasised not just for the driver but for all occupant’s including the school children as provided in the relevant traffic regulations. Specifically, it states that when installed, all passenger seats designed to accommodate a child or infant carrier seat shall comply with laid down specifications.