Indiana Insurance Hosts 13th Annual School Bus Safety Rodeo

School bus drivers from across Indiana will compete Saturday, April 28th for top safety honors in the 2007 Indiana School Bus Safety Rodeo. The Rodeo is sponsored for the 13th year by Indiana Insurance, a property/casualty insurer headquartered in Loveland, Ohio.

Hosted by the transportation directors and supervisors of Indianapolis area schools and the Region 8 School Transportation Association of Indiana, the safety competition recognizes excellence in school bus driving and gives drivers the opportunity to demonstrate the skills required of their safety-first occupations.

Competing bus drivers take a written exam, conduct a vehicle inspection, and then navigate through ten performance tests along the course. Drivers have the potential to earn up to 585 points. The winners in each class of the competition will represent the state of Indiana at the International School Bus Safety Competition to be held in Boston this summer.

Indiana school bus drivers have direct responsibility for the safety of an average of 25-to-75 pupils for approximately four-to-eight hours each day.

“Indiana’s school bus drivers play a critical role in student safety and they take great pride in their daily responsibilities,” said Rodeo Chairman Justin Wilczynski, assistant director of transportation, Clark-Pleasant Community School Corp. “The competition showcases the driving skills and knowledge that goes with the job and affirms the shared dedication among the drivers.”

Coinciding with the School Bus Safety Rodeo are the 2nd Annual School Bus Technician Competition and the 2nd Annual Special Needs Team Safety Rodeo. The Technician Competition requires participants to identify and troubleshoot mechanical problems and identify 15 school bus defects within specified time limits. The Special Needs Team Safety Rodeo consists of driver-attendant teams that are evaluated on wheelchair loading and securement, bus evacuation, and a driving test in which the teams are also graded on how they respond to staged passenger emotional outbursts.

Source: Indiana Insurance