Areas of Expertise
Pupil Transportation & Safety
Our team provides consulting services to school systems on the operation of school buses, development of safe routes for walking/bicycling, and for student drop-off/pick-up at the school. We can review existing operations and offer opinions on remedial actions that are needed, or assist with the development of new systems to provide the safest environment possible given the surrounding conditions.
Past Projects
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An evaluation of various technologies designed to reduce the frequency of illegal passing of stopped school buses. This project was conducted on behalf of NHTSA as a response to a specific provision in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (or BIL) to evaluate newly emerging technologies for their efficacy in making school bus stops safer (BIL Subsection 24110[a]). Assessments for this study included a diverse array of empirical techniques, including photometric assessments of lighting-based technologies, eye tracking and behavioral responses of drivers encountering technologies on a closed course, and naturalistic observation of technologies on instrumented school buses.
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A compendium of laws regarding illegal passing of school buses in the United States. The report examined trends in the features and structure of such laws as they exist within 54 jurisdictions across the nation (50 States, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands). Content covered topics such as motorist duties when passing stopped school buses loading or unloading students as well as the legal status and distinctive features of laws for automated stop arm enforcement cameras.
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A study that conducted a field evaluation of NHTSA’s new pedestrian curriculum for elementary age school children. The project involved the selection of an appropriate site for curriculum implementation and then an extensive implementation and impact evaluation. A variety of survey and naturalistic observation techniques were employed.