THE OPERATOR AND SAFETY

necessary risks if you are not constantly alert for the safety of your passengers sooner or later you will be involved in a serious accident with injury for your passengers others and possibly even yourself no operator can escape accidents if he disregards basic safety principles and yet all of us can be efficient and safe operators by following simple Common Sense directions before taking your bus out make a careful check so you know it's in safe operating condition adjust the seat for best driving position start the engine and let it warm up as it builds up air pressure for the brakes check the body lights the stoplight and the windshield wipers when the engine has built up 75 lb of air pressure check the door operation first the front door then the center door make all the other required checks before you pull out take it easy going out the door check your brakes in the first block or as soon as possible with the bus going about 20 M hour apply the foot brake if the brakes work properly you're ready to start on your run you should have a good working knowledge of the vehicle code you should also understand and follow local traffic regulations traffic officers make your job easier and safer they're on the job to help you cooperate with them at all times traffic lights are placed for your convenience and safety don't try to beat them start only on the green signal stop smoothly and promptly on the red this is a danger spot always make a complete stop this type of sign is placed to help you drive safely it indicates a hazard ahead so follow the instructions and slow down when you see this warning special driving precautions are always necessary in school zones most school zones are marked so that your operation can be guided accordingly in spite of carelessness on the part of others you can avoid accidents if you drive safely traffic controls and AIDS are placed for your benefit take full advantage of them and they'll help you to keep out of difficulty keep your mind on your job and your eyes on traffic you must be constantly alert for any condition that may require immediate action on your part this can be anything from a changing light to another vehicle suddenly turning in front of you or a sudden stop by the vehicle ahead keep far enough back from any vehicle ahead so that you can stop smoothly even if the other vehicle makes a sudden stop your following distance should be adjusted to your speed remember your braking distance varies with your speed when operating on a level Street under favorable conditions breaking distance of 30 ft at 20 mph is generally acceptable if speed is double braking distance is increased four times to 120 ft at 40 mph at 1/ half the speed 10 m hour the braking distance is cut to 1/4 or 8 ft but when you have to stop unexpectedly you need even more space than the braking dist distances indicated on the charts this is because perception and reaction time must be taken into account you see the need for a stop but by the time the impulse goes from your eye to your brain to your foot or while you act time and distance have been consumed so for a safe following distance you must consider both reaction distance and breaking distance on an average at 20 mph if you're alert you'll go 22 ft while you react then 30 ft more before you stop 52 ft from the time you first saw the need to stop at 30 mph reaction distance is 33 ft braking distance 68 ft more a total stopping distance of 101 ft almost twice the distance required at 20 mph at 40 mph reaction distance is 44 ft breaking distance 120 ft making a total distance of 164 ft now let's see what happens when your following distance is insufficient both the bus and the truck are moving at 30 mph the truck suddenly applies its brakes the bus goes 33 ft before you can react and get the brakes applied it needs 68 ft more to stop but there isn't that much distance and a collision results if the following distance is correct for existing conditions the bus can be stopped without a collision or without jolting your passengers but it's up to you to be able to accurately judge this distance and to drive so there is no danger of striking the vehicle ahead in case it stops abruptly some operators find it helpful to judge safe following Distance by bus lengths on this basis approximately two bus lengths is considered a safe following distance under normal conditions at 20 mph you may use some other guide however no matter what guide is used be sure you can bring your bus to a smooth stop even when the vehicle ahead stops abruptly pass only when possible within the distance of your vision give a warning when necessary pass only if the speed of the other vehicle permits you to get by within a reasonable distance when a vehicle in the rear wants to pass you don't increase your speed if you increase speed while being passed and an accident occurs you are equally responsible with the other driver when passing parked cars allow plenty of clearance to diminish the possibility of accidents watch for persons in driver's seats this may indicate that an auto is about to pull out an exhaust on a parked Auto may also indicate that the driver is about to pull out many bus accident happen at intersections and usually because of unsafe practices you can prevent these accidents even when the other driver or pedestrian does the wrong thing don't place too much confidence in the stop signs on a cross street the other fellow may run through a stop sign so it's up to you to be sure you can't afford to take chances at blind Crossings approach slowly and be sure there's nothing coming at grade Crossings come to a stop in accordance with state and local regulations open your front door so that you can hear if a train is coming then close it make sure that the track is clear both ways then proceed with caution over the track do not change gears during the crossing to make a left turn from the center make certain there's nothing coming on your left signal your intention with the turn indicator or with the hand and if it's clear here on the left pull over to the center of the street wait until traffic permits then turn to make a right turn indicate your intention make sure nobody is passing on your right make a turn from the right hand lane keep the bus far enough out when you turn to prevent the tires from striking the curb and remember in any kind of a turn and regardless of the light a pedestrian has the right of we accidents frequently happen at bus stop zones so special attention should be given to operation at these points indicate your intention to stop make stops easily and smoothly keep the rear of the bus out of traffic for any Zone stop pull in close and parallel to the curb so it is no effort for passengers to step into the bus or if you can't get close keep the efficiently away so that the passengers have to step from the curb to the street to the bus before pulling out from Curb look to see if the way is clear pull out from the stop at a gradual angle into traffic variations of weather present special operating hazards rain reduces your visibility it also reduces the visibility of other uses of the streets braking distance is increased by wet Pavements rain means that greater driving care must be observed heavy fog slows all Transportation under conditions like this you must proceed with Extreme Caution Darkness presents another driving Hazard reduced visibility glaring headlights and careless motorists add to the difficulty abnormal weather conditions and night driving require extra alertness and more careful observance of all safety rules to review briefly make all necessary checks before leaving the garage make a break test before starting your run let traffic controls and AIDS make your job easier understand and maintain a safe following distance use good judgment in passing be careful at intersections follow traffic regulations when turning place your bus properly at stop zones guard against special operating hazards caused by weather conditions and remember operate your bus safely at all times