`baby Jesus' Kidnapped 
From W-b Public Square 
Annual Nativity Scene Missing 
An Important Player

Loretta Christie 
Nov. 20, 1992 
Loretta Christie, Of Main Street, Inkerman, Jenkins Township, Died Friday At 
Home.

Sunday, November 22, 1992 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1B/6B QUICK WORDS: BUS SAFETY SCHOOL 





SAFETY &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Time not on school bus safety's side &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ********************* &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 PHOTO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER/PETE G. WILCOX &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Snub-nosed buses, such as the one students from the Heights Terrace
Elementary &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 School in Hazleton are boarding, afford drivers a better view to make sure
students are out of the way when the bus moves on &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER GRAPHICS/KEVIN O'NEILL &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ********************* &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The accident that killed a &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Dallas teenager last month might have been prevented by one of three safety
devices not yet mandated by the state &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By JAMES RUBIN &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Times Leader Staff Writer &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 WILKES-BARRE -- Imagine a sonar field around the front and back of a school
bus that activates when a child is in harm's way. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Or an 8-foot gate that herds them into a driver's line of sight. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Or a snub-nosed bus that eliminates much of the hood area, affording a
better view. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Any of these fairly recent developments in bus safety equipment might have
prevented the accident that claimed a 14-year-old's life late last month. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 None is yet mandated by state law , although a Pennsylvania Department of
Transportation official says she expects more sophisticated equipment to be
required. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "As more modern-day equipment comes along we'll see more and more of it on
school buses," says Carol Freeland, special projects coordinator for the
Bureau of Motor Vehicles. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In Pennsylvania, two students were killed last year after being hit by a
school bus. An average of one student per year has died in pedestrian
accidents over the past five years. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That's a decent record, considering the 1.15 million students
Pennsylvania's 501 school districts transported last year, says Robert W.
O'Brien, director of public relations for the National Safety Council, a
private organization dedicated to improving national safety awareness. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pennsylvania draws its lead from guidelines passed by the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration. It must incorporate any changes at the federal
level into its own regulations for school bus safety. Yet it may also
establish new standards without federal impetus. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 One way or another, it takes time. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "If the federal government would say these buses should have this or this,
we would have it (right away)," Freeland says. "The difficulty lots of time is
that it takes time to get legislation changed. The department has to go
through a whole legal and acceptance process." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Meanwhile, school bus operators may include non-mandated items on their
vehicles as long as they don't interfere with other safety features. Most
companies in Luzerne County go beyond state requirements, say company and
school district officials. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Red stop arms that extend from the driver's side when the bus halts to drop
off passengers are not required for all buses until July 1, 1994. In Luzerne
County, more than 80 percent of the buses transporting students have the stop
arm, which is designed to control traffic. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 While it is impossible to say a sensor system, gate or snub-nosed bus could
have prevented the death of Mitchell Patrick Brown, the Dallas seventh-grader
who was run over by his bus, Dallas Superintendent Gerald Wycallis says he
would consider any innovations that would enhance bus safety. The district's
bus company, Emanuel, does not have either of the devices or snub-nosed buses,
although all of its buses have the stop arms. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the wake of the accident, the district has been focusing on education
and prevention. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We're always looking at other ways to provide safety factors that might
enhance our bus safety," Wycallis says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 During the past few weeks the district has been showing a film featuring a
rap song that reminds students to use caution in and around a bus. Prior to
the accident it sent students a two-page handout that included a diagram
outlining safety buffer zones around the bus. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maintaining buffer zones is important, but not enough, says the National
Safety Council, an Illinois-based organization dedicated to improving safety
standards and awareness. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The area around the bus is the most dangerous place to be," says the NSC's
O'Brien. "Our belief is that the student should remain standing and have eye
contact with the driver, so that everyone knows where everyone is. It just
makes common sense." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 That was echoed by Barbara Ross, transportation coordinator for the
Lake-Lehman district. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "In a school bus, because you're carrying such a precious commodity, you
have to be extra sure of what you're seeing. Nobody is really safe," she says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Snub-nosed buses &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Among the county's 11 school districts, which transported about 36,000
students last year, only the Hazleton Area School District uses snub-nosed
buses. Eight of its approximately 60 buses are snub-nosed. Assistant
transportation coordinator Fred Mariano says he wishes the figure was higher,
but cost prevents him from revamping his entire fleet with snub-nose models. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Yet O'Brien says the extra cost for a snub-nose or other safety device
could save school districts money in the long run. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The safest drive companies or districts provide can also be the cheapest
because it keeps them out of litigation," he says. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The snub-nosed buses, in which the motor is pushed back next to the driver,
cost as much as $80,000 with options. Hazleton's models, without most of the
options, are more than $20,000 less than that. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Sensor system &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 None of the contracted bus companies that serve Luzerne County's 11
districts uses a sensor system, which is widespread in parts of New York and
Canada, or a crossing gate, which is mandated in six U.S. states, and may
become law in two others. Several area bus companies says they might consider
the arms as a result of the Dallas accident. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If they're willing to spend a little more money, they might also want to
call Alan Hersh, whose Long Island company, Safety First Systems, developed a
sensor system that protects four blind spots around the bus. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In the Safety First system small box-shaped sensors switch on, creating a
sort of microwave field up to 15 feet away from the bus as soon as the driver
stops to let students out. If a child or object enters the field, a buzzer and
a warning light go off next to the driver. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Most of the school bus accidents happen when a child drops something and
comes back to pick it up," says Safety First president Hersh, who started the
business four years ago. "These buses are high and a small child can't be seen
over the front end." A "full perimeter system" costs $1,850. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Crossing gate &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The crossing gate, which was developed originally by Specialty
Manufacturing Co. in the mid-1970s, is less costly, although its effectiveness
is limited to the area in front of the bus. Made of aluminum, which is twisted
into a figure-eight for stability, it extends 8 feet from the front bumper,
forcing passengers to walk well clear of the bus when crossing. Cost ranges
between $150 and $300. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Reflector strips &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Even if no area operator uses sensors or the gate, another innovation
appears to be picking up steam. Rinehimer Bus Lines, which serves the
Crestwood School District, uses reflector striping. Vice President Carl Deets
has already outfitted 27 of his fleet of 32 buses. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I feel it is a great safety factor because it can be seen far away at
night," Deets says. "Sometimes it's dark in the morning. If the headlights hit
the bus, the driver can see the bus better." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The stripes are one of several devices transportation officials are mulling
over now. Among the other things they are considering are seat belts, which
are not mandated in larger buses, or T-bars similar in design to those used on
roller-coasters. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The Wilkes-Barre Area School District is toying with the idea of placing
cameras on buses to insure students behave. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Inspections &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 If any of these devices becomes law, it will be just one more thing on a
master list state troopers consult during their annual August inspection. That
inspection is one of three required by the state each year. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The other two inspections are completed by a state-certified mechanic, and
are the same as those required for non-commercial vehicles. The police
inspection differs from these in that it covers the bus's school-related
safety and emergency features, including its exit warning lights and moon
mirrors, which reflect the blind spot directly in front of the grill. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A bus that is deficient in any one category may receive a written warning,
or for certain deficiencies, automatic failure. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It's pretty much common sense," says Tpr. Edward Kreidler. "We will not
issue an inspection sticker if a bus has a major deficiency. Then we would
physically have to see that the items are repaired. They would basically have
to go through inspection again. If it's minor we will issue a written warning.
Then they would have to send a letter or some proof that the item specified
has been repaired." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Certain problems such as deficient brakes or warning lights result in
automatic failure. Lesser errors include cracked or missing rear view mirrors,
headlamps or directional signals. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 This year the team examined 610 buses from districts in Luzerne, Sullivan,
Bradford and Wyoming counties. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Driver training is also strictly enforced. Drivers are required to take 20
hours of courses before they receive certification. They must take an
additional 10 hours in courses to be recertified every four years thereafter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Still, even with strict training requirements and better equipment not
everyone is optimistic future tragedies can be eliminated. Karl Nielsen, head
mechanic of Neilsen's Bus Line, has seen too many drivers "blow past" his Stop
extension signs and too many kids forget basic safety rules. He says no amount
of improved safety equipment will totally eliminate accidents. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The whole problem is that people aren't paying attention," Nielsen says.
"Accidents will happen. You have to burn it into students' brains so they
understand the importance of following safety rules. You have to burn it into
their brains."

Safety 
Time Not On School Bus Safety's Side 
********************* 
Photo 
Times Leader/pete G. Wilcox 
Snub-nosed Buses, Such As The One Students From The Heights Terrace Elementary 
School In Hazleton Are Boarding, Afford Drivers A Better View To Make Sure

Safety Time Not On School Bus Safety's Side ********************* Photo Times Leader/pete G. Wilcox Snub-nosed Buses, Such As The One Students From The Heights Terrace Elementary School In Hazleton Are Boarding, Afford Drivers A Better View To Make Sure