School Bus Drivers and Winter Weather Driving
By: Lauren Trager, KARK 4 News
Updated: January 23, 2013
When it comes to your kids heading to and from school safety matters.
With the possibility for sleet and freezing rain in the forecast, KARK 4's Lauren Trager took to the streets to see just how well school bus drivers are trained to transport your kids.
every bus driver in the state is required to have three hours of training every year through the Department of Education.
But none of that training is specific to winter weather driving.
It's up to individual districts to teach their drivers to stay safe in the sleet and ice.
"It's an outdoor office, this is my office," said Rebecca Pickup.
Even her name says so: Pickup feels right at home on the road. She's had her hands around the big wheel of a PCSSD bus for more than five years.
"It's fun to drive a bus, I love to drive a bus," Pickup said.
But it's a lot less fun, she says, when conditions take a turn.
"That just scares me," she said.
Snow and sleet are a bit scary to Superintendent Dr. Jerry Guess too.
He's got the uneasy task of monitoring weather conditions and watching roadways to decide whether to cancel classes in a district half the size of the state of Rhode Island.
"It really is a difficult thing to explain to parents," he said.
Safety has already been explained to the drivers in training sessions and again daily over their radios.
"That's their job to be professional and safe," said transportation supervisor Jackie Griffin. She says their drivers get on-the-road classes on how to deal with deteriorating driving conditions.
"We do ask that they slow down and do be aware of black ice on the roads," Griffin said.
On route Wednesday, Pickup points out potential problem spots.
"If you put ice or snow on the road right now, this bus is going to be sliding all over the place," she said.
She tells us just what she'd do.
"The best thing to do is drop gears and take it as slow as possible," she said.
The only priority: ensure kids step out her glass door, safe and sound.
"I know I have a job to do and we get out there and do the best we can," she said.
PCSSD district leaders cannot recall the last time there was an injury accident on the roadways during bad weather or otherwise.
Little Rock School District drivers are also specifically trained in inclement weather driving.
With the possibility for sleet and freezing rain in the forecast, KARK 4's Lauren Trager took to the streets to see just how well school bus drivers are trained to transport your kids.
every bus driver in the state is required to have three hours of training every year through the Department of Education.
But none of that training is specific to winter weather driving.
It's up to individual districts to teach their drivers to stay safe in the sleet and ice.
"It's an outdoor office, this is my office," said Rebecca Pickup.
Even her name says so: Pickup feels right at home on the road. She's had her hands around the big wheel of a PCSSD bus for more than five years.
"It's fun to drive a bus, I love to drive a bus," Pickup said.
But it's a lot less fun, she says, when conditions take a turn.
"That just scares me," she said.
Snow and sleet are a bit scary to Superintendent Dr. Jerry Guess too.
He's got the uneasy task of monitoring weather conditions and watching roadways to decide whether to cancel classes in a district half the size of the state of Rhode Island.
"It really is a difficult thing to explain to parents," he said.
Safety has already been explained to the drivers in training sessions and again daily over their radios.
"That's their job to be professional and safe," said transportation supervisor Jackie Griffin. She says their drivers get on-the-road classes on how to deal with deteriorating driving conditions.
"We do ask that they slow down and do be aware of black ice on the roads," Griffin said.
On route Wednesday, Pickup points out potential problem spots.
"If you put ice or snow on the road right now, this bus is going to be sliding all over the place," she said.
She tells us just what she'd do.
"The best thing to do is drop gears and take it as slow as possible," she said.
The only priority: ensure kids step out her glass door, safe and sound.
"I know I have a job to do and we get out there and do the best we can," she said.
PCSSD district leaders cannot recall the last time there was an injury accident on the roadways during bad weather or otherwise.
Little Rock School District drivers are also specifically trained in inclement weather driving.
