NHTSA Crash Test ? Or In-House Company Test ?

[Jeremy]

I'm not sure when talking about seatbelts here whether people are refering to seatbelts for bus driver or bus passengers (or maybe both). If it helps the law changed here in 2001 to require buses and coaches to have passenger seatbelts. I'm not sure if the driver is required to use one or not, but as has been said it probably doesn't help very much anyway in anything other than in slow-speed accidents. With 15+ tons of weight behind and nothing but a sheet of glass in front, a coach driver is always going to be pretty vunerable.

When the seatbelt law came in here in 2001 I expect there were plenty of small operators who campaigned against it on cost grounds - but as is always the way with these things they had to accept it and no doubt were surprised to find it wasn't the end of the world after all.

Jeremy

[Dallas]

Mike,
I agree with most of your list except...
When driving your bus, look a half mile or a mile ahead.. not just a couple of vehicles. As you stated, these creatures do not stop on a dime, and have 0nly 3 axles and 8 tires at best.. a semi normally has 5 axles and 18 tires on a class 8 vehicle and will stop in less space than an unloaded coach.

Many many years ago, I had to take classes as part of an orientation program at one of the companies I leased my trucks to. One of the methods to stay alert was to always keep your eyes moving.. the NTSB recommended moving your eyes in a circular motion that would scan your windshield and traffic directly in front of you, left mirror, gauges, FLOOR, right mirror, ahead of your rig by at least 1/2 mile, and start over. If you use the 2 second rule, increase it to the 4 second rule.
Ever wonder why trucks, even those without CB radio, (I quit using mine at least 3 years before I stopped driving), seem to get into the correct lane when a lane closure is coming up? It's because they are professionals, and watch their surroundings and what they are coming up on.

As for defeating fatigue..
None of those methods you mentioned actually work for more than about 5 minutes if you are really tired and not just bored.
The ONLY METHOD (THAT WORKS) TO REDUCE FATIGUE IS SLEEP.
Don't kid yourself. If you are tired and sleepy you are better off stopping and taking a 30 minute nap than trying to force yourself to go and go.
Believe me.. I at one time ran 3 log books......... Rest came after I fueled and food was eaten in the truck while rolling along at 70+ mph. Showers were only taken in places like Oregon that had fuel jockeys that fueled the truck and pulled it forward while you were getting the scum off.
(For those of you who don't know, Commercial drivers were limited to 10 hours on duty, driving; or 15 hours 0n duty with a minimum of a 4 hour break after each period of 8 hours driving..... plus it gets even more complicated).
Like some of our ex truck drivers and owner operators here, the only way to make a profit was to put miles on the truck, having a second driver for me was never an option.. I have only trusted two people behind the wheel while I was sleeping..My step dad and my wife. I ended up 3 times against the windshield post and twice shot through the windshield because of a second driver..nope Team driving isn't for me.

The bottom line here is.. NEVER TAKE CHANCES.. If you feel tired, go take a nap. No place you need to go cannot do without you. If you get into a wreck, you'll be late at the very least, if you are dead you won't get there at all.

OK, I'm off my soapbox now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.

Dallas

It should serve as a sobering reminder to drive safely.

• Always drive the bus, not just hold the wheel.
• Always look ahead, know what is happening several vehicles forward.
• Keep mirrors properly adjusted and use them to know what is coming up beside you.
• Always get enough sleep before driving.  If you get sleepy while driving, stop and walk around, do some excercises, get some coffee, whatever works for you to regain alertness.
• Keep both hands on the wheel.  Things happen fast and depending on the speed, if one of your hands isn't on the wheel, it will take 100-150 feet to get it there.
• "Know" your bus.  Know how it feels when it's running right, notice when something changes.
• Maintain your brakes, steering and tires as though your life depends on them, it does.
• Never ever indulge in "adult beverages" and drive it.

All that said, there is a silver lining to this cloud.  Consider how many buses there are with over 1 million miles on them.  Consider all the ones with 3 million or more miles on them.  Consider all the highway trucks out there with over 1 million miles on them.  The odds of being in a fatal collision are probably much worse whenever your drive your car.  Just don't let those odds lull you into complacency about driving safely when driving your bus.
   

[HighTechRedneck]

Good points Dallas.

On the issue of rest when tired.  I fully agree, but with a condition.  You can stop immediately at the side of the road to get up from the seat, walk around stretch, get a cup of coffee.  This can provide an immediate benefit, even if not lasting.  To get a few hours of sleep, you need to find a place to safely/legally pull off.  In some of the more challenging long open stretches, that can take quite a few miles to find one.

So my revised point would be, when you start to get sleepy behind the wheel, immediately take actions to regain alertness, then if it was more than boredom, find the next safe place to pull off and take a nap.

[Lin]

Driving while in danger of falling asleep is certainly not merely a problem for buses and trucks.  I hate to admit how many times I have driven a car in that condition.  I actually once was driving a VW bug on a Los Angeles freeway once and completely fell asleep.  I was woken up when I hit the divider guard rail.  I knew something had awakened me, but I was not even sure I had hit anything until I stopped and saw the whole left side of the car was torn up.  It seems I just fell asleep, the car swerved two lanes left, hit the guard rail and bounced off waking me up.  You'd think I'd learn a lesson from that. 

The biggest problem I have driving the bus is remembering to treat it completely different than a car, and forgetting things that are natural to the old professionals.   I need to always remind myself to plan far in advance for stops and turns.  Another thing is discarding some of the etiquette I am accustomed to when driving a car.  For example, if I am making a left turn in a car, I will make an effort to have as little impact on traffic behind me as possible.  In the bus, I need to just plan to get into the left lane reasonably in advance and begin slowing down early.  Those behind me will just have to understand (or not). 

[D0ggSh0]

I pulled this of the Yahoo http:////greyhoundthroughexpress/message/34146:

Re: 3 point seat belts offered in 2009 MCI

Seatbelts arent reassuring after seeing the E/J's in a roll over they
don't seem to hold to well, havn't seen any recent shots of the D in a
roll over. The MC-9/MC-12 still fare up nicely.