First Key Fact

Children are allowed to stand on school buses in speed zones as high as 100klm/hr.  On May 21st 2000, the “Sunday Mail” printed the following about this:-

“Rod Troutbeck, professor of civil engineering at the Queensland University of Techniology, said students clinging to bars and straps could not survive an accident in which, for example, a bus hit a bridge pylon.  Passengers would be thrown around with the force equivalent to 12Gs.   This is 12 times the force of gravity.  An F –16 jet fighter pilot can withstand up to 9Gs.  A passenger holding on to a strap who did not die as a result of his or her own velocity would be killed by impact with another “straphanger” from further back in the aisle”.

Research from the University of California also says:-

“The practice of transporting bus passengers standing in the aisle is dangerous and should not be permitted, especially for school bus passengers.  Individuals standing in the aisle are far more likely to be injured than passengers who are seated, regardless of the lack of quality of the seats.  During a collision passengers standing are thrown about the bus passenger compartment striking and injuring other individuals who may be adequately restrained.  The exposure for the standee relative to the head-on and rear-end collision is, understandably, severe, owing to no structure immediately in his path to retard his body being hurled down the aisle to strike the front or rear of the bus forcibly, and often head first.  It was found that conditions are or may be as serious for the side impact owing to the abruptness with which the standee is thrown against other passengers and the side of the bus, or, in the instance of the individual standing near the front of the bus, thrown against the opening and ejected head first.  The standee's chances of injury during a collision greatly exceed those of seated passengers, even when safety seats are not included in the bus.  Standees thrown to the front of the bus may block the exit with injured and unconscious bodies greatly increasing the evacuation time for those able to move”
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In an editorial on the 21st May 2000, the “Sunday Mail” went on to say:-

“Transport Minister Steve Bredhauer must act.  In the short term, more buses should be hired so that every child can be seated.  Then the relevant laws should be thoroughly sctrutinised, tightened where necessary and, of course, vigorously policed”.
 

Second Key Fact

No child is provided with a seatbelt on a school bus, neither is there any plan by the present Queensland Government to introduce seat-belts on buses used to transport children.  This is a quote from Seargant Ruler, a senior policeman in the Queensland Accident Investigation Squad, who has investigated major coach crashes.  The quote is from his comments in the coroners report on the Tamborine Mountain coach crash:-

'Each day I see heavily laden buses carrying both commuters as well as school children traveling our roads. Knowing what can occur to unrestrained occupants, seated as well as standing, it frightens me and yet at the same time angers me. It angers me because I know that this situation need not exist.  I have heard comments to the effect that to be injured in a bus is so many times less than a car or a motorcycle. I have heard comments that there has yet to be sufficient justification for the fitment of seat belts. I have heard comments that it would be too expensive to fit seat belts. I have heard numerous other comments as to why seat belts should not be fitted or only a limited number of seat belts provided.  In answer to these comments I can only say that had these persons seen what I, and those who took part in the rescue operation, had seen that day, there would be little doubt left as to the need for seat belts for all those who travel on buses. This does not refer to those buses of the future but to all buses now operating on our roads".

School bus crash testing research from the University of California goes on to say:-

“In contrast with no belt, the three-point belt allows its wearer to sustain but one-third the crash forces received by an unrestrained passenger of the same size seated beside him.  More importantly, the forces are directed by the three-point restraint system to strong parts of the passenger's body in a generally non-injury-producing manner, as contrasted with head and chest injuries commonly sustained for unrestrained passengers on direct impact with the structures around them”.
 

Third Key Fact

No school bus in Queensland is required to have the “roll-over” strength currently required on all newly built inter-state coaches.  “Roll-over” strength prevents the coach structure from crushing and buckling in an accident – thus it protects the coach occupants from the forces of a crash.  Some school buses on our roads date from 1976 and new school buses are what are termed “route buses”.  “Route buses” are specifically excluded from having to conform to any legislated standard in regard to their “roll-over” strength.  This is a quote from Mr. Rob Davis, a solicitor who acted for the bus company in the fatal Tamborine Mountain coach crash:-

“In 1989 the writer represented the bus company involved in the Tamborine Bus Crash in which 11 people were killed and over 30 were seriously injured. The one glaring lesson that emerged from that fatal accident was that buses are not designed to be reasonably crash-worthy. If a normal family sedan had been involved in either the Tamborine or Gateway incidents there is every reason to believe the occupants would have survived with relatively minor injuries. The massive toll of death and injury that occurs in almost any bus 'roll-over' is caused by two main factors. First is the fact that buses are not designed to withstand realistic roll-overs. Second is the absence of seat belts. During roll-over bus cabins distort, windows pop, and occupants are thrown around like shoes in a spin drier. Some occupants may protrude through open window spaces, resulting in decapitation injuries as the vehicle rolls. Others are beaten to death from colliding with internal structures, such as seats, floors, and other passengers”.

In fact, horrifically, two of the eleven people killed in the Tamborine Mountain Coach crash were de-capitated.  Professor Peter Joubert from Marquarie University, Melbourne (now retired), is an expert on seat-belts and coach design.  He has called the present situation in regard to the safety standards of school buses “criminal”.
 

Fourth Key Fact

No school bus has to conform to any legislated standard in regard to “seat anchorage” (unlike inter-state coaches).  It is “seat anchorage” strength which keeps the seat firmly in place in the event of an accident – thus preventing it from being ejected from the coach compartment and allowing it to be strong enough for seat-belts to be fitted.  It also prevents the seat from becoming a lethal missile.  Again, old buses are not required to conform to any legislated standard and new buses which come under the classification “route bus” are not required to conform to any legislated standards either.  Mr. John Bottom, a solicitor who was involved in the Cairns school bus crash (February 1987), in which eight children were killed and twelve injured, has stated that in that crash, most, if not all of the seats in the coach tore from their moorings.
 

Fifth Key Fact

No school bus has to conform to any legislated standard in regard “occupant protection” (unlike inter-state coaches) – for the same reasons as quoted in point 4 above.  “Occupant protection” is the internal padding inside a coach and the absence of hard metal structures which can cause horrific injuries in accidents – both when passengers collide with them and when metal poles (for instance), break – leaving sharp, jagged metal edges.  School bus crash testing (University of California) concluded:-

“Tubular struts, protruding hand grips and similar protruding rigid structures should be eliminated”.

This research also concluded:-

“Low back seat units, seatback height less than 28 in., greatly increase chances to injuries during school bus accidents”.

In other words, according to the research quoted above, low-back seats with a hard metal bar at the top (which functions as a hand-grip), is the most dangerous type of coach seating possible.  Professor Peter Joubert (quoted at the end of point 3 above), also agrees with this finding.  Thousands of Queensland school children are being transported in older buses with exactly this type of seating arrangement.
 
 

Conclusions

In conclusion therefore, it can be said with complete and total certainty that it will NOT be the bus crash which will be the main factor in killing and injuring children in the event of an accident – it will be the fact that children are standing, it will be that children are un-restrained, it will be that their bus has no “roll-over” strength, it will be that their bus seats are not firmly anchored enough and will be the fact that the interior of their bus may not have adequate padding, as well having very old-fashioned low-backed seats topped with a metal hand-rail.

The position of Mr. Steven Bredhauer, our present Minister for Transport and Main Roads,  is that because there have been very few school bus accidents (the fatal Cairns school bus accident in 1987 is not included in school bus travel statistics because it was an “excursion” and not a trip “to and from” school – all those  dead and injured children were un-restrained in a bus with all the above listed safety problems), Queensland Transport has NO plans to improve school bus safety on any of the five points listed above.

Mr. Bredhauer has not answered questions as to how many children would have to die in a school bus accident before the above safety factors would be addressed.  It would appear that this present Government is saying that, despite all the scientific information we have about what keeps children safe in accidents, despite the fact that private motorists are fined for not wearing seat-belts – we require children to die unnecessarily in a school bus accident before we will consider it necessary to improve or reform our present standards.  Although the Government do not say this directly, they repeatedly state that there is no need to spend money on the safety problems listed above because very few children have died in school bus accidents.  The obvious answer to this question is therefore – how many do you want?

On the 18th April 2000 Mr. Peter Beattie was quoted (in the “Courier Mail”) as saying “saving one life of one Queenslander is worthwhile” – this was in relation to the introduction of further speed cameras.  On the 19th April, a member of the “Bus Action Committee” wrote to Mr. Peter Beattie wondering if it was still “worthwhile” when Government action cost money, rather than generated it.  This query has never been answered.

All the information above has been sent to Mr. Peter Beattie, Premier of Queensland.  The "Bus Action Committee" has invited the Queensland Government to correct any statement of fact above which is untrue.  We have also invited the Government to provide us with any research and/or expert opinion that children are safer, or as safe (in the event of an accident):-

A.  Standing in the aisle of a bus or coach, as they are seated.

B.  Unseat-belted in a moving vehicle, as they seat-belted.

C.  As passengers in coaches NOT conforming to present Autralian Design Rules (in regard to roll-over strength, secure seat anchorage and internal padding), as they are in coaches conforming to these design rules.

The "Bus Action Committee" is more than happy to publish and provide to parents any Government comments in regard to the "Five Key Facts" above, as well as any scientific information provided by them in regard to points A, B and C directly above.