School Bus Safety Act of 2018

To direct the Secretary of Transportation to issue rules requiring the inclusion of new safety equipment in school buses, and for other purposes. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the School Bus Safety Act of 2018 2. Definitions In this Act: (1) 3-point safety belt The term 3-point safety belt Type 2 seat belt assembly (2) Automatic emergency braking system The term automatic emergency braking system (A) a forward collision warning function— (i) to detect vehicles or objects ahead of the vehicle; and (ii) to alert the operator of the vehicle of an impending collision; and (B) a crash-imminent braking function to provide automatic braking when forward-looking sensors of the vehicle indicate that— (i) a crash is imminent; and (ii) the operator of vehicle is not reacting in a timely or appropriate manner. (3) Event data recorder The term event data recorder (4) School bus The term school bus schoolbus (5) Secretary The term Secretary 3. School bus safety (a) Seat belt requirement Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue rules prescribing or amending motor vehicle safety standards under chapter 301 (b) Other safety equipment requirements Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall issue rules— (1) prescribing or amending motor vehicle safety standards under chapter 301 (A) an automatic emergency braking system; (B) an event data recorder; and (C) an electronic stability control system (as defined in section 571.136 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations (as in effect on the date of enactment of this Act)); and (2) amending part 383 of title 49, Code of Federal Regulations, to require not less than 30 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction for operators of school buses, which shall be accrued on public roads. (c) Obstructive sleep apnea Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration shall complete the rulemaking process and publish a final rule with respect to the advance notice of proposed rulemaking entitled Evaluation of Safety Sensitive Personnel for Moderate-to-Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea (d) Effective date The standards prescribed or amendments made pursuant to subsections (a) and (b) shall apply with respect to school buses manufactured in, or imported into, the United States on or after the date that is 1 year after the date on which the Secretary issues the rules required under the applicable subsection. 4. Studies (a) Motion-Activated detection systems (1) In general Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (referred to in this section as the Administrator (A) detecting pedestrians located near the exterior of the school bus; and (B) alerting the operator of the school bus of the pedestrians described in subparagraph (A). (2) Regulations Not later than 1 year after the date on which the Administrator completes the study under paragraph (1), the Administrator shall issue rules requiring school buses manufactured in, or imported into, the United States to effectuate that requirement. (b) Safety belt alert Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall complete a study on the benefits of requiring school buses manufactured in, or imported into, the United States to be equipped with a system to alert the operator of the school bus if a passenger in the school bus is not wearing a 3-point safety belt equipped on the school bus. (c) Retrofitting Not later than 2 years after the date of enactment of this Act, the Administrator shall complete a study with respect to the benefits of requiring all school buses operating in the United States to be equipped with a 3-point safety belt at each designated seating position. 5. Safety belt grant program (a) In general Not later than 1 year after the date of enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Transportation shall establish a grant program to provide grants to States to make subgrants to local educational agencies— (1) to assist the local educational agencies in purchasing school buses equipped with 3-point safety belts at each designated seating position; and (2) to assist the local educational agencies in modifying school buses already owned by the local educational agency to be equipped with 3-point safety belts at each designated seating position. (b) Authorization of appropriations There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as are necessary to carry out this section.

Summary: School Bus Safety Act of 2018 This bill requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue rules prescribing or amending motor vehicle safety standards to require school buses with a gross vehicle weight rating of greater than 10,000 pounds to be equipped with a three-point safety belt at each designated seating position. DOT shall also issue rules to require (1) school buses to be equipped with an automatic emergency braking system, an event data recorder, and an electronic stability control system; and (2) at least 30 hours of behind-the-wheel instruction for school bus operators. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the Federal Railroad Administration shall publish a final rule entitled "Evaluation of Safety Sensitive Personnel for Moderate-to-Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shall complete a study of the benefits of requiring school buses to be equipped with a motion-activated detection system that can detect pedestrians located near the exterior of the school bus and alert the bus operator of the pedestrians. The NHTSA must also study the benefits of requiring school buses to have a system that alerts the operator if a passenger is not wearing a three-point safety belt. The bill requires DOT to establish a grant program to assist local educational agencies to purchase school buses equipped with three-point safety belts at each designated seating position and assist them in modifying existing school buses to be equipped with such belts.