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This Could Safe Your Child’s Life

A School Bus Handrail Handbook

Contents

The Issue .................................................................................... 2

Handrail Mechanics ..................................................................................... 2

The School Bus Driver’s Role ..................................................................... 3

Children’s and Parents’ Responsibilities ................................................... 4

School Administrators Must Be Active ...................................................... 5

The Handrail Inspection Tool and Procedure ........................................... 6

Inspection Results ........................................................................................ 6

Reminder ...................................................................................................... 7
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The Issue

Across the United States, children are being injured or killed when

their clothing or accessories are caught in their school bus’s handrail or

door as they exit the school bus. As a result, they may fall and be

violently dragged by the bus and run over by its rear wheels.

The most common piece of clothing that can be snagged on the

handrail is a jacket with a drawstring at the waist. These drawstrings

commonly have a large bobble or knot at the ends that can become

lodged in the handrail. However, other articles of such as scarves , long

straps on backpacks, or dangling key chains can also be snagged on the

handrail.

Handrail Mechanics

School bus handrails have had

the same basic design for more

than 30 years. However, with

the current change in fashion

toward oversized and baggy

clothing, handrail designs

have contributed to tragic and

avoidable injuries and deaths.

Typical handrail designs that have

the potential for snagging are

illustrated in Figures 1 and 2.

Figure 1

Defective Handrail

Figure 2

Defective Handrail
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School bus manufacturers

have taken extraordinary and

costly steps to remove

snagging hazards from school

bus entrances. More than

400,000 school buses have

been recalled and

manufacturers have absorbed

the cost of the repairs. In most

cases, a simple spacer can be

added to the existing handrail

eliminating the potential for

snagging. In other cases,

manufacturers have

redesigned the handrail.

Figures 3 and 4 illustrate

handrails that have been

modified.

The School Bus Driver’s Role

The school bus driver is a trained

professional concerned with getting

children to school and returning them home

safely. Driving a school bus is a demanding

task. There is a lot of activity in and around

the bus. The bus driver must be aware of

ever-changing traffic conditions, the

children on the bus, and the children who

enter and exit at each school bus stop.

Compounding this already complex

situation is the need for the driver to

maintain the school bus schedule.

The major reason for injury and death due

to handrail snagging incidents is the

driver’s failure to notice that the child’s

drawstring has become snagged. The driver

should observe all children, especially those

with long drawstrings, oversized or baggy

clothing, or other items that may become

snagged in handrails, as they exit.

Additionally, to ensure safety at each stop,

the driver should be certain that each child

has completely exited the bus and cleared

Figure 4

The Fix - Version 2

Figure 3

The Fix - Version 1
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the danger zones before closing the door and moving the vehicle. The

driver should secure the bus and check around and underneath the bus

if there is a question of whether a child has moved safely away from

the bus. Finally, the driver must be alert for warnings as the bus pulls

away. In many of the snagging incidents that have occurred to date,

someone inside or outside the bus attempted to warn the driver that a

child was being dragged by the bus.

Children’s and Parents’ Responsibilities

Children and parents must also accept some responsibility for ensuring

that a snagging incident does not occur. While oversized and baggy

clothing may represent the latest fashion trend, try to avoid choosing

any article that may become caught in a school bus handrail or door.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that

drawstrings be no more than three inches in length at the waist. Parents

should caution children about attaching key rings and other items to

their backpacks as these too may become caught on the handrail or

door.

Figure 5

Danger Zones
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While not directly related to snagging, children should also be warned

to stay out of the school bus danger zones. (Figure 5). The danger zones

are areas around the bus where it is difficult for the driver to see.

Children should be taught not to pick up objects they drop near the

bus. The driver may not see the child. If the child does drop something,

the child should inform the bus driver and follow the driver’s

instructions.

Parents should check with the school principal, or local school bus

transportation director to determine if the school bus carrying their

children has been recalled for a handrail problem and, if so, whether it

has been repaired. Parents are encouraged to check with the school

system when their child’s safety is in question.

School Administrators Must Be Active

School administrators must also play an active role in taking steps to

eliminate handrail snagging injuries and deaths. All school buses must

be inspected to determine if potential snagging areas exist.

Administrators should contact NHTSA’s Auto Safety Hotline at 800-

424-9393 to find out which buses have been recalled for this or other

problems.

If a school bus with a defective handrail is found, the bus should be

taken out of service immediately and kept from service until proper

repairs have been made. All manufacturers’ recalls should be given

high priority and addressed quickly.

School officials should also design training curricula for school bus

drivers, teachers, and parent organizations. Driver training should be

implemented to reinforce safe loading and unloading practices.

Teachers and parent organizations should be informed of the potential

for snagging situations and their role in injury prevention.
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The Handrail Inspection Tool and

Procedure

The inspection tool (Figure 6) is inexpensive and

the procedure for detecting potentially fatal

handrail designs is quite simple. The inspection

tool is a standard 1/2” hex nut measuring 3/4”

across the flats. This nut is tied to 1/8”thick cotton

cord measuring 36” in length with overhand knots.

The drawstring should have a minimum length of

30" when tied to the nut and attached so that a pull

of at least ten pounds does not separate the nut

from or break the drawstring.

Steps to conduct a handrail inspection are:

Stand on the ground outside of the bus

Drop the inspection tool between the

handrail and step well wall, simulating the

typical way students exit the bus

Draw the inspection tool through the

handrail in a smooth, continuous slow

motion

Repeat this procedure several times

(minimum of three times)

Note: It is important to drop the inspection tool

over the handrail in such a way as to simulate a

child exiting the bus. This is a drop and drag test.

Do not create a snagging situation by placing the

nut in an area that would not be exposed to a

drawstring or other articles.

Inspection Results

Take the bus out of service and repair it if

the inspection tool catches or snags

anywhere on the handrail.

If the nut separates from the drawstring or

the drawstring breaks, reassemble the tool

and retest. If the inspection tool pulls freely

without catching or snagging, the bus

should not be rejected.

Figure 6

The Tool
Reminder

It is important to inspect all school buses including those that have

been repaired. If you have questions, contact NHTSA’s Auto Safety

Hotline at the number listed below.

School buses are the safest way to transport children to and from

school. By working together we can ensure that these vehicles’

outstanding safety record will not diminish. If you have questions

concerning school bus handrails or other school bus safety related

issues, contact your local school district or state director of pupil

transportation or call NHTSA’s Auto Safety Hotline at 800-424-9393.