3301-83-12 Safety procedures.

(A) Warning lights

(1) Alternately flashing amber and red signal lamps

(a) Alternately flashing amber lamps are to be used to warn motorists that the bus is stopping to take on or to discharge passengers.

(b) Alternately flashing red lights are to be used to inform motorists that the bus is stopped on the roadway to take on or discharge passengers.

(2) Stop arm shall be operated simultaneously with flashing red signal lamps.

(3) A white flashing strobe light, individually switched, may be used, when unfavorable atmospheric conditions or time of day limit visibility (i.e., fog, rain, snow, darkness).

(4) Four-way hazard lights shall be activated at railroad crossings and turn-arounds unless prohibited by local ordinance.

(5) Headlights should be actuated during operation of the school bus.

(B) Railroad grade crossings

(1) General

(a) The driver of any school bus, with or without passengers, shall come to a complete stop, set the parking brake, shift to neutral, turn off the warning lamp master switch if necessary, fully open the service door, and listen and look in both directions along the track or tracks for approaching engines, trains, or train cars.

(b) For improved vision and hearing, a window at the drivers left shall be opened and radios and other noisy equipment (fans, etc.) shall be turned off upon approaching the crossing and remain off until the bus has cleared the crossing.

(c) The school bus driver shall shift the bus into gear, look and listen, close the service door, release the parking brake, and drive across the tracks in an appropriate gear without shifting.

(d) After a train has passed the crossing, the bus driver shall not drive the bus onto any tracks until the driver is certain that no train, hidden by the first train, is approaching on an adjacent track.

(e) Crossing when flashing or audible signals malfunction is only permitted when authorized in accordance with section 4511.62 of the Revised Code.

(f) The bus driver must never assume that automatic signals or other devices are completely reliable.

(2) Weather conditions – during wet, stormy or foggy weather, before placing part of the bus on the tracks, the driver must know that the crossing can be made in safety.

(3) Behavior of passengers at railroad crossings – when any school bus is stopped for any railroad track, all passengers must be silent until the crossing is completed. A signal for silence shall be given by the school bus driver approximately three hundred feet from the crossing.

(4) School bus railroad crossing procedures

(a) Traffic checks shall be made upon the approach to the railroad crossing so that the driver can observe traffic and reduce speed far enough in advance of the stop to avoid trapping other motorists in panic stops or rear-end collisions with the bus. On multiple roadways, all stops must be made in the far right lane whenever possible and practical.

(b) At approximately three hundred feet from the railroad crossing, the driver must signal the passengers for silence, turn off noisy equipment (fans, etc.), turn off the warning lamp master switch if necessary, and actuate the strobe light, if available and if conditions warrant.

(c) Actuate the hazard lights at least one hundred feet from the railroad crossing, unless prohibited by local ordinance. No other signs or signals, except the strobe light, will be actuated from the bus while stopped or stopping at the railroad crossing.

(d) Open the drivers window just prior to stopping

(e) Stop the bus within fifty feet and not less than fifteen feet from the nearest rail. Set the parking brake.

(f) Shift the gear lever into neutral. This applies to buses with either standard or automatic transmission.

(g) Open the service door and look and listen not less than twice in both directions for an approaching train, engines, or train cars.

(h) Shift into the proper gear when the crossing can be made safely and there is sufficient space on the other side of the railroad crossing.

(i) Close the door, continue to look for trains, engines, or train cars in hazardous proximity of the bus, and listen for any audible signals.

(j) Release parking brake and proceed across the railroad crossing when safe to do so. Do not shift gears while crossing.

(k) When the bus has safely cleared the last rail and is approximately fifty feet from the crossing:

(i) Turn off the hazard lights and strobe light

(ii) Close window, if desired

(iii) Turn on warning lamp master switch and heater fans, if needed

(iv) Turn on radios

(l) Traffic checks shall be made to identify any hazards by motorists trying to pass the bus while completing the railroad crossing.

(1) Whenever possible, the bus shall be clearly visible to the other motorists five hundred feet in both directions.

(2) Whenever possible, turn-arounds should not be scheduled at intersections where the vehicle must cross a lane of traffic while backing.

(3) Four-way hazard lights shall be actuated unless prohibited by local ordinance.

(4) The driver shall sound the horn twice before backing or have an audible signal while backing.

(5) The driver shall not back the school bus at pick-up or discharge locations while pupils are outside the vehicle.

(D) Loading and unloading at school facilities

(1) When it is necessary to load or unload pupils off the school grounds, the bus shall be positioned and parked (with parking brake set) so that pupils do not cross the roadway to get to or from the bus.

(2) Warning flasher lights shall be deactivated when loading and unloading on school grounds or when loading and unloading from a school bus stopped off the traveled portion of the roadway adjoining the school grounds[.]

(3) Parking for loading and unloading on school grounds shall be bumper to bumper or diagonal. Either method used shall exclude any necessity for backing the school bus. The rear and/or side emergency exits shall remain accessible at all times.

(4) Pupils in the loading area shall be properly supervised by the building principal or designee.

(5) Except when loading or unloading pre-school or special needs children, the driver shall remain on the bus while pupils are loading and unloading.

(E) Before receiving or discharging pupils, the bus shall be driven to the right side of the paved or traveled portion of the roadway and brought to a full stop.

(F) The bus driver shall be the only operator of the service entrance door. The door shall not be opened to load or unload pupils until traffic has cleared the bus or come to a complete stop in all directions.

(G) The bus driver shall not use the service door control to actuate warning lights. The door must remain in a securely closed position while the bus is in motion.

(H) The bus driver shall not leave a school bus unattended with pupils on board except when loading or unloading pre-school and special needs children or in the event of an emergency. Drivers who must leave their driver’s position for these purposes shall not leave the immediate vicinity of the bus, except for an emergency.

(I) The driver shall not leave the bus until the brakes are set, the engine stopped and the ignition key removed, with the exception for buses equipped with wheelchair lifts or diesel engines that require the engine to be running.

(J) At the conclusion of each route or trip, the driver should ensure all passengers have left the bus by visually inspecting each seat position.

R.C. 119.032 review dates: 02/07/2008 and 02/07/2013

Promulgated Under: 119.03

Statutory Authority: 3301.07, 4511.76

Rule Amplifies: 3301.07, 4511.62, 4511.76

Prior Effective Dates: 10-22-84; 7-1-91; 10-5-98; 11-13-01; 10-1-04