What is the NTSB? Gray Summit, MO Briefing Chesterfield, NJ Port - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

What is the NTSB? Gray Summit, MO Briefing Chesterfield, NJ Port St. Lucie, FL Office of Highway Safety Barbara A. Czech, Deputy Director 1

Mission To promote transportation safety by • Maintaining our congressionally mandated independence and objectivity; • Conducting objective, precise accident investigations and safety studies; • Performing fair and objective airman and mariner certification appeals; • Advocating and promoting safety recommendation; • Assisting victims of transportation accidents and their families.

Independence NTSB is independent of the DOT The NTSB reports directly to Congress The NTSB has no regulatory authority

Independence • The NTSB is composed of the Chairman, VC and 3 Board Members • There are three Board members from the President’s political party and two from the other

The NTSB is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to accidents in all modes of transportation.

Office of Highway Safety Office of Highway Safety There are over 7 million highway accidents per year in the U.S. (19,000 per day) Office of Highway Safety works in cooperation with the States

Gray Summit, MO – August 5, 2010 7

Construction Zone 8

First Collision – Truck and Pick-up 9

Second Collision- SB1 and Pick-up 10

Second Collision…. 11

Third Collision – SB1 and SB2 12

Scene Photo Photo courtesy of Joshua Gumpenber 13

Scene Photo Courtesy of Joshua Gumpenber 14

Scene Photo Courtesy of Joshua Gumpenber 15

Scene Photo Courtesy of Joshua Gumpenber 16

Fatalities and Injuries • 2 Fatal Injuries • Driver of pickup truck • Rear passenger - lead bus • 38 Injured • 35 Passengers • 2 School bus drivers • Driver of truck tractor 17

Safety Issues • Driver distraction • Collision warning systems • Video event recorders • Missouri oversight and inspection of motor carriers in pupil transportation 18

Safety Issues cont… • Design of school bus emergency windows • Lack of pre-trip safety briefings 19

Portable Electronic Distraction • Texting conversation while driving Texting Direction • Driver’s movement, lack of braking • Driver distracted by texting Last message 20

Lead Bus • Lead bus driver • Current license and medical certificate • Focused on the motorcoach on shoulder • Long attention away from roadway increases crash risk • Can be addressed through training 21

Following Bus • Following bus driver • Current license and medical certificate • Less than recommended minimum separation • Can also be addressed through training 22

Lead SB Brake Issues Wet / leaking master cylinder Leak in hydraulic brake line from master cylinder to ABS Brake warning light inoperative Brake pads issues 23

Following Bus Brake Issues Fabricated spring assembly Out of place ABS sensor No ABS for Right Rear Wheel 24

Vehicle Issue Areas • Maintenance at the motor carrier • Oversight of Copeland Bus Services • School bus inspections in Missouri 25

Inspection Form Inadequacies Missouri Form: Example Form: 26

Emergency Evacuation 27

Lead SB Emergency Exits 28

Emergency Evacuation Briefings • Missouri requires emergency evacuation drills K-6 grades • St. James requires drills 7-8 grades • No pre-trip briefings prior to school sports or sponsored events • Previous Safety Recommendation to NASDPTS 29

Probable Cause • The initial collision was caused by distraction, likely due to a text message conversation being conducted by the pick-up driver, which resulted in his failure to notice and react to the truck that had stopped because of the work zone. 30

Probable Cause cont…. • The second collision was the result of the bus driver’s inattention to the forward roadway due to excessive focus on a motorcoach parked on the shoulder of the road… 31

Probable Cause cont… • The final collision was due to the driver not maintaining the recommended minimum distance from the lead SB in the seconds proceeding the accident. 32

Chesterfield, NJ – February 16, 2012 Accident Location 33

Pole Accident Sequence 34

Roll-off Truck w/Snow Plow 35

Damage caused by Truck Impact 36

Impact with pole 37

School Bus Interior 38

Fatalities and Injuries • 1 passenger was fatally injured • 17 passengers injured • serious to minor injuries • School bus driver sustained minor injuries 39

Port St. Lucie, FL – March 27, 2012 Accident Location 40

Accident Sequence 41

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Fatalities and Injuries • 1 passenger was fatally injured • 19 passengers and school bus driver received serious to minor injuries • Truck operator refused treatment 45

Comparison of Accident Buses 46

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