Um. I think I'm going to hire a driver for my bus

Scott & Heather · March 09, 2016, 07:02:59 AM

Never saw an MCI crash test until now. Am I the only one who shivered when I watched this?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=jagBEcvLe5Q

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sixtyseven · March 09, 2016, 07:09:18 AM

Ouch ! That's not easy to watch ! First of all, you might want to avoid them brick walls

bobofthenorth · March 09, 2016, 07:30:51 AM

Bus driver is definitely the first to arrive when the stuff hits the fan.

That's why I never minded when some Datsun or Toyota stole my stopping distance - I figured they just became my crumple zone if something bad happened.

buswarrior · March 09, 2016, 08:20:00 AM

And the old tale about the spare tire behind the bumper being of assistance....

yeah, sure.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM · March 09, 2016, 09:08:13 AM

Moral of the story is IF you plan to run into solid walls like that, you had better wear a helmet.

However there are sometimes things you can do to mitigate personal injury in the advent of a bus crash. Like flying a small plane, you always try to control the plane all the way thru the crash whenever possible. If it is imminent that you will be landing in the woods, try to fly into a crash such that one or two of your wings clip the trees to absorb the impact rather than the nose.

Similar with a bus. If you are the only person on board, do whatever you can to hit an object on the passenger side of the bus or try to make a severe left turn if it is imminent you will be hitting something hard to ensure the impact is as far away from you as possible. It is all about physics and dynamics. The more you can crunch your bus as far away from you and your passengers as possible the more likely you will walk away. All vehicles crumple and will absorb the impact. I used to be an EMT and firefighter in a previous life and took a Defensive Driving class and learned that sometimes you can control where you hit and if you have that opportunity do whatever you can to reduce your risk.

There are other things you can do to prevent a crash like when you have to drive over interchanges with four levels of bridges when going over the edge which can be very messy, or up mountain roads with large drop-offs. Don't count on the guardrails to stop you from going over the edge. Drive in the right hand lane and reduce your speed 10 MPH below the speed limit. That way if you do hit the guardrails, you will be scuffing along them, rather than hitting them at a steeper angle as you travel across a line creating a more direct line of impact closer to perpendicular to the guardrail making it more likely you will break through. Remember, damage increases exponentially as your speed increases, so by slowing down only 10 MPH you reduce your impact force significantly.

But like 67 says, avoid the brick walls and plan all of your routes thru Arizona. Running off the road in those flatlands may mess up your tires and steering and you may get banged up, but you will general be able to walk away.

Charles Seaton · March 09, 2016, 09:15:26 AM

I worked part time cleaning/shifting/fueling for a transit bus company in Westchester County New York in 1970. They had just gotten a fleet of GM eight-cylinder fishbowl transits, some of which they sent out on weekend charters. One afternoon, one of them comes back on a flat bed, the front crushed in all the way back to the tear drop window behind the front door.drivers window.

The next day, the driver comes in without a scratch. How did he escape serous injury, or even death? He was on the NJ Turnpike in a light rain, going too fast. Came upon a tractor trailer stopped at toll booth. What did he do? "I saw that I couldn't stop so I pushed in the emergency brake, got out of the seat and ran in back with the passengers." There were no injuries, but that was the last time they sent one of the "County" buses out of state on a charter.

As for that MCI, yes I too have heard the spare tire theory. I never believed it. Now, I know for sure.

- Seaton

Tikvah · March 09, 2016, 01:12:01 PM

Yes, the driver is most certainly standing before his maker. However, it's impressive how well the shell of the coach holds up. The overall structure stays intact.

Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM · March 09, 2016, 01:42:28 PM

Based on what I saw in this video, I have decided to move my drivers seat to the rear of the coach. With camera technology as excellent as it is now, I see no reason to have to put yourself in harms way by sitting so close to the front of the bus.

Now that I have 360 Omnivision where I can easily see 360 degrees around my bus from a birds-eye view, there is no need to have sit up front like in the "old days". Check it out at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDUmM9OcDiY&feature=youtu.be

I think I will also install an ejection seat just in case so if I see a bad crash coming so I can "Punch Out". Hummm, maybe I should also put a hole in the roof over the drivers seat too. Almost forgot about that.

Bus Riders · March 09, 2016, 07:18:37 PM

I am going to wake up Leroy passed out in the back cause he has never seen a crash like this before.

Jim Eh. · March 09, 2016, 08:54:34 PM

Given the apparent speed, there is probably not any vehicle I would want to be in hitting a non moveable object like that test wall.

Oonrahnjay · March 10, 2016, 05:56:34 AM

Quote from: Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM on March 09, 2016, 01:42:28 PMBased on what I saw in this video, I have decided to move my drivers seat to the rear of the coach. ...

Been done. Cheaper than an OmniView, too (there, eh???)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOeZAhaOgoE

solodon · March 10, 2016, 08:48:53 AM

Tooooooo funny

Gary Hatt - Publisher BCM · March 10, 2016, 09:02:45 AM

Hummm. Now why didn't I think of that. Need to top off my Oxygen and Acetylene tanks and start cutting.

uncle ned · March 10, 2016, 12:41:31 PM

Scott If you are going to hire a driver I believe the ex Cat bus driver is available.

uncle ned

Iceni John · March 10, 2016, 01:19:19 PM

OK, a MUI Detroit can run backwards (which means you could have a bus with four reverse gears and one forward), there are some really good rear-view camera systems available these days, rear-wheel steering shouldn't be too much of a problem (even the world's fastest car has it, so it should be just fine for a bus . . .) See where this is going? And if you do hit something engine-first, it's forty feet away from you. Just don't forget to swap the headlights and taillights around, otherwise the police could ticket you for having red headlights. Unfortunately the door will be on the wrong side , but that's nothing that a Sawzall and duct tape can't fix.

John, thinking WAY outside the box. (What box, where?)