1 MIRRORS ARE YOU GETTING THE PICTURE? TOPICS WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO USE A MIRROR GRID? HOW DO YOU SET UP A MIRROR GRID? NOW THAT I SET UP MY MIRROR.

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MIRRORS

ARE YOU GETTING THE PICTURE?

TOPICS

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO USE A MIRROR GRID?

HOW DO YOU SET UP A MIRROR GRID?

NOW THAT I SET UP MY MIRROR GRID HOW DO I USE IT?

REVIEW TEST

WHY USE A MIRROR GRID?

NOT GUILTY VERDICT FOR TX. DRIVER FACING

MANSLAUGHTER CHARGES

On June 7, 2007 after a two week trial and 9 ½ hours of deliberation a jury reached a not guilty verdict for Jerry Michael Cook, a former Pasadena Independent School District (Houston-area, Tx) bus driver charged with manslaughter in the death of a 9-year old girl.

The charges stemmed from an August 18, 2005 accident , where Frazier Elementary fourth-grader Ruth Young was riding her bike to school and Cook was taking students to Dobe High School. Cook then drove the bus a few yards to the stop sign where Ruth was trying to cross. Tragically, Cook drove forward to make a left turn, ran over the girl, and she was killed. Cook was first indicted on a charge of murder but it was later reduced to manslaughter.

NOT GUILTY VERDICT FOR TX. DRIVER FACING

MANSLAUGHTER CHARGESThe defense asserted in opening arguments that this was a tragic accident and that Ruth rode her bike off of the sidewalk and into Cook’s blind spot. The prosecution alleged that Cook recklessly caused Ruth’s death by not checking the mirrors on the hood which show the blind spot in front of the bus, and that Cook was careless because he was 15 minutes late. By not yielding the right of way to Ruth and checking his mirrors, the prosecution said he disregarded his required safety training.

NOT GUILTY VERDICT FOR TX. DRIVER FACING

MANSLAUGHTER CHARGESAt one point in the trial, a traffic reconstruction expert testified about the use and proper adjustment of mirrors. The prosecution presented Carlisle Beasley, who worked for 34 years as the transportation director for Nashville, TN schools as an expert witness. He testified that there are no blind spots on a school bus if a driver has properly adjusted mirrors and is “doing his job.”

In cross-examination, the defense provided pictures from the day of the accident that showed the mirrors did not reflect the police officers standing in front of the bus grill. “Those aren’t properly adjusted” responded Beasley the expert witness.

SOURCE: HOUSTON CHRONICLE

NEW YORK BOY HOSPITALIZED; DRIVER HADN'T NOTICED CHILD’S

BACKPACK CAUGHT IN DOOR.

BUFFALO, N.Y. – A six year old New York boy remains hospitalized after a school bus dragged him along a road for about 60 feet.

Authorities say the boy had skin scraped from his torso, patches of hair ripped from his head, a broken thumb and bruises to his face.

They say the bus doors closed on the boy’s backpack, and the driver drove away without realizing the boy was stuck. The bus finally stopped when other children on the bus alerted the driver to the situation.

Associated Press Oct. 8, 2006

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A FIVE YEAR-OLD GIRL EXITED THE BUS. THE DRIVER CHECKED, THOUGHT THE AREA WAS CLEAR, AND BEGAN TO LEAVE FOR THE NEXT STOP. THE GIRL WAS RUN OVER BY THE REAR WHEELS OF THE BUS AND KILLED.

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THIS FATAL ACCIDENT ALONG WITH THIRTEEN OTHERS TOOK PLACE LOADING OR UNLOADING STUDENTS IN THE 2005-2006 SCHOOL YEAR.

20 CHILDREN LOST THEIR LIVES AROUND THE LOADING ZONE IN THE 2004-2005 SCHOOL YEAR

HOW WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR BUS MIRRORS TO BE

ON TRIAL.

HOW WILL YOU ANSWER THE QUESTION, WHAT SYSTEM OR TECHNIQUE DO YOUR DRIVERS USE TO SET UP THEIR MIRRORS?

{WHILE SITTING ON THE WITNESS STAND}

LETS SET UP A MIRROR GRID!

LINES 50-60 FT.OR LONGER IF

POSSIBLE

8 FT. WIDE

LET’S PAINT THE CYLINDERS.

CYLINDERS SHOULD BE 1 FT. IN DIAMETER AND 1FT. HIGH.

WE DON’T USE CYLINDERS, WE JUST USE YELLOW PAVEMENT MARKINGS. WITH THIS METHOD THE MIRROR GRID CAN REMAIN

SET UP FOR USE AT ALL TIMES.

0 FT. FROM BUMPER

6 FT. FROM BUMPER

12 FT. FROM BUMPER

1 FT. FROM CENTER OF FRONTAXLE

1 FT. FROM CENTER OF REAR AXLE

6 FT. FROM CENTER OF REAR AXLE

1 FT.

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NOW LET’S USE OUR MIRROR GRID.

TRAINING TIP:

Wait till the paint dries before you use the grid.

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All wheels should be within the box

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What is wrong with this picture?

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You should not see any more of your bus than this.

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TRAINING TIP

ALWAYS ADJUST YOUR SEAT, PRIOR TO MAKING ANY MIRROR ADJUSTMENTS

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These cones represent yellow circular pavement markings in all mirror grids.

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RIGHT, CROSSOVER MIRROR-CATEYE

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SIDE CONVEX MIRROR

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WESTCOAST- SIDE FLAT MIRROR

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OVER HEAD REAR VIEW MIRROR

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TRAINING TIP YOU MUST USE DIRECT VISION AND

INDIRECT VISION TO ACQUIRE A COMPLETE PICTURE.

DIRECT VISION IS WHAT YOU SEE IN ANY DIRECTION WITH THE NAKED EYE.

INDIRECT VISION IS WHAT YOU SEE WITH SOMEONE OR SOMETHING’S ASSISTANCE, EXAMPLE: MIRRORS OR A GROUND GUIDE.

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TRAINING TIP

AT TIMES YOU WILL HAVE TO MOVE YOUR HEAD AND BODY AROUND TO COMPLETE YOUR SIGHT PICTURE.

SOMETIMES MIRRORS, BRACKETS, FANS, RADIOS ETC…. CREATE A BLIND SPOT THAT YOU WILL HAVE TO LOOK AROUND. YOU MAY NEED TO MOVE SOMEWHAT ON ALL BUSES.

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Let’s look at another way to set up a mirror grid.

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TRAINING TIP

IN OUR COUNTY OUR DRIVERS ARE REQUIRED TO CHECK THEIR MIRRORS IN A MIRROR GRID:

1. IF THEY ARE OFF WORK.

2. IF THEIR BUS GOES TO THE GARAGE.

3. ANY TIME THEIR MIRRORS COULD POSSIBLY BE OUT OF ADJUSTMENT.

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HOW FAR IS THIS CONE FROM YOUR BUMPER

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20 FEET ! THE FARTHEST CONE YOU CAN SEE

OUT FROM THE BUMPER IS12 FEET AWAY USING YOUR MIRRORS.

THIS MEANS LOW TO THE GROUND YOU HAVE A BLIND SPOT BETWEEN 12-20 FEET. YOU CANNOT SEE WITH DIRECT VISION OR WITH MIRRORS IN THIS AREA.

ALWAYS COUNT YOUR STUDENTS!

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TRAINING TIP USING MIRRORS PROPERLY IS NOT A

REPLACEMENT FOR COUNTING ALL STUDENTS.

YOU MUST COUNT YOUR STUDENTS SO THAT YOU KNOW IF ALL YOUR STUDENTS HAVE CLEARED THE ROADWAY BEFORE YOU CANCEL YOUR STOP SIGN OR MOVE YOUR BUS.

SAVE A STUDENTS LIFE! COUNT!

REMEMBER MR. BEASLEY’S QUOTES!

He testified that there are no blind spots on a school bus if a driver has properly adjusted mirrors and is “doing his job.”

The defense provided pictures from the day of the accident that showed the mirrors did not reflect the police officers standing in front of the bus grill.

“Those aren’t properly adjusted” responded Beasley the expert witness.

LET’S SEE IF WE CAN FIND ANY BLIND SPOTS.

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CROSSOVER & CONVEXCOMBINATION

DO YOU SEE ANY THING ?

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HOW ABOUT NOW. IS IT SAFE TO MOVE THE BUS?

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TEST

LET’S TAKE A REVIEW TEST.

1. HOW WIDE IS THE MIRROR GRID IN THE NEXT

SLIDE?

1. 8 FEET

2. What are the dimensions of the white boxes in the following

slide?

2. Direct vision is what you see with the naked eye.

You are not using mirrors, ground guides or any other

assistance.

2. Five feet by eight feet.

5’ X 8’

3. Name an advantage of using these 5’x 8’

boxes with a standard mirror grid.

3. Using these with your mirror grid will give you a precise vertical adjustment as well as a horizontal adjustment for the

flat “Westcoast” and side convex mirrors.

4. There is only one proper way to set up a mirror grid or mirror

check station.

True or False

4. False

5. In the next slide how far in front of the bumper is the circle

lettered B.

5. 12 FEET IN FRONT OF THE BUMPER.

6. If your mirrors are properly adjusted and you are diligent in

scanning them it is not necessary to count the students while

loading or unloading.

TRUE OR FALSE

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6. FALSE

7. THERE ARE NO BLIND SPOTS AROUND A BUS IF MIRRORS ARE ADJUSTED

PROPERLY.

TRUE OR FALSE

7. FALSE

Under the bus. Depending on the mirrors, the corners of

the bus and definitely behind the bus.

8. In your flat West Coast mirror you should be able to see a cone at least

how many feet behind the bus?

8. 200 feet.

9. From the drivers seat looking out over the top of the hood of their bus the average driver will start to see the pavement how many feet in front the bumper?

9. 20 Feet

10. A first grader gets off the bus and drops their crayons 15 feet in front of the bus. They get down on their knees to pick them up. They are probably in the bus drivers _______ ________.

10. BLIND SPOT

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SUMMARY

COUNT STUDENTS

DRIVERS MUST COUNT THEIR STUDENTS AT EVERY BUS STOP, NO EXCEPTIONS.

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SUMMARY CHECK MIRRORS, CHECK MIRRORS,

CHECK MIRRORS.

GIVE YOUR DRIVERS A SYSTEM TO MAKE SURE THEIR MIRRORS ARE IN ADJUSTMENT.

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CAN YOU THINK OF ANY GOOD REASONS TO USE A MIRROR GRID IN

YOUR TRAINING?

If you would like additional information about the following

presentation contact:

EMAIL:

[email protected]

BONUS QUESTION

HOW MANY TRANSPORTATION DIRECTORS DOES IT TAKE TO

CHANGE A LIGHT BULB?

2 POSSIBLE ANSWERS5 – ONE TO HOLD THE BULB AND FOUR TO TURN THE LADDER.

OR

0 – THEY WOULD JUST CALL THE TRAINING DEPT. AND TELL THEM THIS IS COVERED IN THAT SENTENCE “OTHER DUTIES AS ASSIGNED” IN YOUR CONTRACT.

0 FT. FROM BUMPER

6 FT. FROM BUMPER

12 FT. FROM BUMPER

1 FT. FROM CENTER OF FRONTAXLE

1 FT. FROM CENTER OF REAR AXLE

6 FT. FROM CENTER OF REAR AXLE

1 FT.

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