Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, August 26, 1995 TAG: 9508280013
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Roanoke will test motion sensors on two school buses during the next school year, even though Roanoke County has decided not to install them on its buses.
Chauncey Logan, transportation director for city schools, said Thursday that the city will test the sensors to determine if they would improve safety.
Earlier models of the sensors could be triggered by almost any motion, including a flying bird, and were unreliable, he said, but manufacturers of newer models claim they are more dependable.
Roanoke County tested the sensors on two buses for several weeks this spring, but Robert Woolwine, transportation supervisor for county schools, said the sensors were not foolproof and have dead spots where they can't detect a child's movement.
"We were concerned that they could give a false sense of security to drivers and parents," he said.
Charlottesville, Newport News and Henrico County have tested the sensors and will install them on some buses.
The sensors trigger an alarm and a light to alert the driver to the movement of a child around the bus, particularly in areas where the driver's vision is blocked.
The county tested the sensors after a kindergarten child was run over by a bus and killed.
Safety was the theme Thursday at the Roanoke school system's annual awards luncheon for bus drivers. Nearly 50 drivers were recognized for having perfect work attendance with no accidents during the past school year.
The school system has 135 drivers, including substitutes, for a fleet of 118 buses.
Logan said school officials understand the stress on the drivers and sponsor the luncheon to show appreciation.
Mary Hackley, supervisor of elementary education, said the drivers are a vital element in the school system's operation.
"You are the first person in the school system to see the children in the morning and the last to see them in the afternoon," Hackley said. "We couldn't get along without you."
William Bosher, state superintendent of public instruction, and Steve Goodwin, a supervisor for the Transportation Safety Division of the Division of Motor Vehicles, also spoke to the drivers.
by CNB