NHTSA WARNS ABOUT RISK
FROM SNAGGED CLOTHING ON
SCHOOL BUS HANDRAILS

May 9, 1995

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) today issued its third warning that school bus handrails can catch loose clothing, jackets, jacket strings or book bags while children disembark, and this can result in a child's being dragged and killed as the bus is driven away.

According to NHTSA Administrator Ricardo Martinez, M.D., five children since April 1991 have been killed and others have been severely injured when their clothing or book bags snagged on the handrail while getting off the bus. The children were dragged alongside the vehicle and many were run over by the bus wheels after the drivers closed the door and drove away. The latest fatality occurred in Ohio in February.

"We consider school bus handrail snagging a significant problem and will continue to search for ways to prevent these tragic events. Approaches to redesign developed by manufacturers will help, but ultimately drivers and other adults must recognize that extreme caution is absolutely necessary every time a child disembarks from a school bus. Like many other injuries, these are preventable," Dr. Martinez said.

NHTSA first expressed concern in 1993 and repeated a warning last year. The safety agency conducted 14 investigations of U.S. school bus body manufacturers to determine if their handrails pose snagging problems. Nine companies subsequently conducted safety recalls to change the handrail designs and make them less prone to snagging. Safety recalls were conducted by AmTran/Ward, Blue Bird, Carpenter, Coach and Equipment Co., Collins Bus Corporation, Gillig Corporation, Sturdicorp, Thomas Built Buses and Van-Con, Inc.

NHTSA determined that other buses, except for those built by the Wayne Corporation, had handrail designs which were not prone to snagging.

Dr. Martinez said that some buses built from 1979 to 1992 by the Wayne Corporation of Richmond, Ind., had handrails that are prone to snag drawstrings, and that these vehicles will not be recalled because the Wayne Corporation is out of business. He urged owners to inspect them and make necessary repairs. "School bus fleet operators must ensure that necessary changes have been made to all affected vehicles, regardless of who manufactured the vehicle," Dr. Martinez said.

Currently, dealers for Wayne Wheeled Vehicles of Marysville, Ohio, a separate company, sell at a nominal cost components to repair handrails on Wayne Corporation buses, but parts are expected to remain available only for a short period.

Since most states require school bus fleets to be inspected annually, Dr. Martinez suggested that inspection teams examine handrails to see if their designs lend themselves to snagging. He also suggested that school bus driver trainers incorporate handrail inspections into their syllabus and that drivers make it a point to see children safely away from the bus before moving forward.

The handrails, also called grabrails, are located inside school buses, on both sides of the stepwell. Snagging occurs when a clothing part, such as the toggle on the end of a drawstring, gets wedged and caught between the wall of the bus and the lower, angled end of the handrail. Manufacturers' remedies range from redesigning the handrail to inserting a rubber "standoff" between the wall and the end of the handrail.

Additional information about school bus recalls is available by calling NHTSA's toll-free Auto Safety Hotline, (800) 424-9393. The agency also has a video news release on the subject available for television stations, schools and others who would like to inform the public about this safety concern. The video news release is available from the NHTSA Office of Public and Consumer Affairs, (202) 366-9550.