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February 13, 2007
For whom the cell phone tollsBoardBuzz can't seem to get enough of cell phones lately (here and here). In the ongoing debate over where cell phones are allowed and where they aren't allowed, another group has stepped into the fray. The American School Bus Council is expected to announce new guidelines today that will ban cell phones for school bus drivers "when the bus is moving or when students are getting on or off."
The organization is urging school districts to enact the ban, citing the research that indicates cell phone use causes drivers to lose focus.
"We don't want those distractions to be part of the school bus driver's environment," the group's co-director, Pete Japikse, said.Japikse said the group also will urge state lawmakers to take action. There are at least a dozen states with laws or regulations prohibiting school bus drivers from talking on the phone.
The council includes public and private transportation providers, school bus manufacturers and state officials responsible for pupil transportation.
The measure follows a similar one by the National Transportation Safety Board, and is being applauded by the National PTA. About 25 million students in the United States ride the school bus each day, according to the American School Bus Council.
Posted February 13, 2007 3:35 PM | School Safety
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