A backup emergency door buzzer and low air pressure in one tire were the only blemishes found by Michigan State Police Traffic Division Inspectors who spent about a week going over Brandon School District buses earlier this year. The two infractions, which prompted ‘yellow-tags,? were part of the state police annual school bus inspection required for all schools statewide.
According to the Michigan State Police, for the 2006-07 school year vehicle safety inspectors ‘red-tagged? 1,370 school buses or about 7.9 percent of the state’s fleet. A red-tagged bus is immediately placed out-of-service and cannot be used to transport students until the defect is repaired. During the same time, 464 buses or 2.7 percent were yellow-tagged. Vehicles identified with less serious safety defects receive a yellow-tag that requires the defects to be repaired within 60 days.
According the report, Brandon received no red-tags on their buses, while the Goodrich School District received five red-tags.
Both reports where considered very good by Michigan State Police Lt. Peggy Hines, who supervises the 12 state school bus inspectors and says the key to safer buses is staying on top of the maintenance.
‘The school bus pass rate is up significantly over the past four years,? said Hines. ‘The major factors are school bus age and preventive work. Right now we’re at 89 percent of the buses pass without a red- or yellow-tag.?
Jean Paul Helias, one of the two mechanics that work on the Brandon district’s fleet of 37 buses, says the state police inspection is very complex.
‘The trooper spends about an hour on each bus, sometimes longer on the older buses,? said Helias. ‘We emphasize a lot of preventive maintenance on our fleet, ranging from 2,500 to 7,500 miles’that’s when we find a lot of the problems.?
‘Mirrors are a real issue with the buses,? said Helias. ‘Tree branches along the rural roads take a toll on them.?
Goodrich School buses received five-red tags out of 32 buses with one yellow tag. The red-tags were the result of a bus trash can out of place; an emergency window sticker missing; an emergency window handle in need of repair; a low air brake pressure warning alarm not working and a small hole in the bus tail pipe.
‘All the items were repaired within five minutes,? said David Beckley, Goodrich School Bus head mechanic. ‘The inspection is very complete.?
Goodrich School District Transportation Supervisor Cindy Forsyth said daily pre-trip inspections are the key to the prevention of long-term mechanical problems.
‘Our drivers complete an extensive checklist before they leave the lot,? said Forsyth. ‘We work on buses year-round and focus on safety everyday. The state police examination is very stringent and detailed’we welcome the inspection.?