Driver Education Programs To Increase Railroad Crossing Safety

“Bytecurve makes our payroll process seamless with reduced time and paperwork,”

Education Program Aims to Help Drivers Safely Navigate Potentially Dangerous Railroad Crossings

The small East Texas town of Athens was shattered by a fatal accident involving a train and a school bus on an otherwise quiet late January day in 2019. 

A 13-year-old student named Christian Bonilla was killed, and 9-year-old Joselyne Torres injured, when their school bus was hit by a Union Pacific train at the Cream Level Road Crossing in Athens.

The families’ joint lawsuit contended that “the rail crossing was steep and dangerous, leaving bus driver John Franklin Stevens unable to see the approaching train,” according to a report by KYTX-TV (CBS) in nearby Tyler.

The suit further alleged that “the Union Pacific crew failed to keep a proper lookout for the bus and did not sound the horn or brake in time for the crash,” that “the train’s crew was negligent while operating the train; Union Pacific was also negligent for not doing their part to make the crossing safer,” and accused Stevens of “failing to stop for a train, failing to keep a proper lookout, and driver inattention,” according to the KYTX report.

The Cream Level Road Crossing lacked a crossing gate at the time of the accident—one of thousands in Texas without such safety mechanisms.

Five years later, not much has changed. 

Enter Bytecurve360.

A CBS News report in March 2024 found that the Cream Level Crossing still lacks a crossing gate—one of around 3,000 such crossings in Texas alone—and that two more vehicles were hit by trains there in 2023 alone.

Preliminary data from the Federal Railroad Administration, as reported by Operation Lifesaver, a non-profit organization and nationally recognized leader of rail safety education, showed that “2,192 highway-rail grade crossing collisions occurred in 2023” and that there were “248 crossing fatalities and 765 crossing injuries in 2023 across the U.S.”

Against such a backdrop, Operation Lifesaver, which since 1972 has been committed to preventing collisions, injuries, and fatalities on and around railroad tracks and highway-grade rail crossings, is taking the initiative to better educate school bus drivers about how to safely navigate railroad crossings.

Operation Lifesaver Inc.’s new video training package, called “Decide Smart, Arrive Safe,” was launched in June. 

“Our new ‘Decide Smart, Arrive Safe’ video training package enhances OLI’s free instruction for school bus drivers, providing vital safety information for these transportation professionals,”
OLI executive director Rachel Maleh said. 

“School bus drivers who view ‘Decide Smart, Arrive Safe’ gain practical tips and information they can use immediately. We want all school districts – and their bus drivers – to know about this free rail safety education tool. 

“While crossing incidents involving school buses are infrequent, this new resource can help stop track tragedies and save lives.”

The Delaware Safety Council (DSC), which “oversees rail grade crossing safety throughout the state as Delaware’s partner with Operation Lifesaver,” is an early adopter of the program.

 

“The training equips drivers with the knowledge and practical skills to navigate grade crossings safely.  Understanding the signs, signals, and correct procedures can help drivers prevent crashes and save lives,”

according to a report by Delaware Public Media.

The training consists of four videos: 

• “Know Your Signals“
• Knows the Facts
• In Their Own Words 
• 5 Alive” 

followed by a comprehensive safety quiz at the end.

The training is not mandatory for school bus drivers, but is recommended and free of charge.

A number of districts and schools in Delaware, including the New Castle County Vo-Tech School District and the Odyssey Charter School, have already signed up for the course, the DSC said, adding that it “will work with school districts and transportation companies to integrate the training into their regular training schedules.”

“In the past 125 years, about 192 deaths and 546 injuries occurred due to school bus-train collisions,” according to School Transportation News. 

“However, the rates of these incidents have been significantly reduced due to OLI’s training and industry standards—tthese include stopping at all railroad crossings, opening the loading doors, reducing noise inside the bus as it approaches the tracks, and scanning both sides of the bus down the railroad tracks to ensure a train is not coming before crossing.”

Railroad crossings can be particularly dangerous for school buses due to the unique combination of factors involved in transporting large groups of students  across train tracks.

The risks associated with these crossings include the potential for accidents caused by driver error, mechanical failure, and inadequate safety measures at the crossings themselves.

One of the primary dangers is the sheer size and weight of school buses, which make them slower to accelerate and harder to maneuver compared to smaller vehicles.

This can be particularly problematic if a bus stalls on the tracks or if the driver misjudges the time needed to cross safely.

In some cases, the tracks might be on a slight incline, making it even more difficult for a bus to clear the crossing quickly.

Another concern is the limited visibility at some railroad crossings, especially those that are not equipped with modern safety features like gates, lights, or alarms. 

School buses are required to stop at all railroad crossings, open their doors, and look and listen for approaching trains before proceeding.

However, if the view is obstructed by vegetation, buildings, or poor weather conditions, it can be difficult for drivers to accurately assess whether it is safe to cross.

Although accidents involving school buses and trains are infrequent—the 2019 incident in Athens is the most recent occurrence on record, according to STN—the consequences can be catastrophic due to the number of children on board and the high speeds at which trains travel. 

To mitigate these dangers, strict safety protocols are in place for school bus drivers, including mandatory stops at all railroad crossings, the requirement to turn off all noise sources (such as radios and fans) to listen for trains, and the use of hazard lights. 

However, the effectiveness of these protocols depends on the driver’s adherence to them and the overall safety of the crossing itself.

Solutions like those from Bytecurve, which focus on student transportation fleet management and steamlining employee payroll, can be highly beneficial for school bus staff.

Here’s how they can help:

Real-Time Alerts and Notifications:

• GPS Tracking and Geofencing: ByteCurve’s fleet management systems can use GPS technology to create geofences around known train crossings. When a bus approaches an unmarked or poorly marked crossing, the system can automatically trigger an alert for the driver.
• Real-Time Hazard Alerts: Integrated systems can provide real-time notifications about potential hazards, including unmarked train crossings, by leveraging data from local transportation authorities or user-generated reports.

Driver Behavior Monitoring:

• Safe Driving Feedback: GPS fleet tracking solutions often include tools for monitoring and analyzing driver behavior. This data can be ported into Bytecurve and shared simply with drivers. If a driver is approaching a crossing at an unsafe speed or not following best practices, the system may be programmed to provide feedback or a warning to the driver to ensure safe operation.
• Incident Reporting: In the event of a near-miss or incident at an unmarked crossing, the system can automatically log the event and report it to the school district or transportation authority, allowing for further investigation and preventative measures.

Route Planning and Optimization:

• Avoidance of Hazardous Areas: Bytecurve’s solution can optimize bus routes to avoid unmarked train crossings altogether, where possible. The system can analyze route data to identify and suggest safer alternatives.

Training and Education:

• Driver Training Modules: Bytecurve can incorporate training modules for drivers that focus on recognizing and safely navigating unmarked train crossings. This training can be reinforced with regular assessments and refresher courses.
• Simulation Tools: Some systems offer virtual or augmented reality training simulations, allowing drivers to practice their response to unmarked train crossings in a controlled, risk-free environment.

Data Analytics and Reporting:

• Risk Assessment: By analyzing historical data, these systems can identify patterns or trends in driver behavior at specific crossings, helping to pinpoint locations that may require additional caution or infrastructure improvements.

By integrating these features into the daily operations of school bus fleets, solutions like those from Bytecurve can significantly enhance the safety of school bus drivers and their passengers, particularly in challenging and potentially dangerous situations like unmarked train crossings.

Many, if not most, larger school districts and private school bus fleets rely on GPS Fleet Tracking today, as well as routing software, to improve their operations and deliver greater student safety. 

But many districts are still unaware of a new emerging technology designed to connect the two previously independent platforms into a 360-degree view of operations to empower dispatchers, payroll technicians, and fleet directors to capture even better operational efficiencies and uncover new ways to increase safety. 

Bytecurve360, developed and supported by a team with more than 100 years of combined student transportation experience, is growing in popularity among fleets that leverage both routing and GPS Fleet tracking thanks to its ability to improve driver management, better control costs associated with payroll, and deliver improved services to schools and families. 

Not designed to replace either system, Bytecurve360 aims to connect dots that were previously constrained by technology silos into a more comprehensive perspective of student transportation management. 

Featuring a driver communication app, a payroll tool that can be leveraged in the garage via desktop or on-the-go via the driver app DriveOn as well as dispatch features designed by a team with years of experience managing complex and dynamic school bus fleets, Bytecurve360 delivers a transformative operational experience. 

“It’s helped us provide a new level of command and control that allows us to be ahead of issues instead of responding to them,”
said Marty Klukas, General Manager, Student Transit. 

Some of the most essential features include: 

• Route-based daily driver/vehicle substitutions or assignments
• Paperless absence management 
• Employee absence management 
• Real-time alerts for late check-ins and delayed vehicles
• Real-time access to on-time performance by school and stop 

About Bytecurve

Founded in 2018 by GP Singh after many years on the frontline of student transportation operations with one of the country’s largest private student transportation providers, Bytecruve is designed as the 360 view of operations.

By blending routing and GPS fleet tracking data, and adding a payroll capability as well as mobile app for two-ways communications between dispatch and drivers, Bytecurve 360 has created a new category for student transportation excellence: the dispatch command center.

“We believe many school bus operators still don’t appreciate all the potential improvments they can deliver by taking two powerful yet independent systems and merging them into a new layer of visibility and action,” Singh said. “We’re integrated with all the major providers of routing systems and GPS fleet tracking so virtually any school district with both systems can take advantage of our transformative technology.”

Trusted by dozens of districts across North America, more than 40,000 school bus rely on Bytecurve technology to improve their efficiency and safety.

“I know from first hand experience what school bus fleet leaders need to perform at their best, and we work tirelessly on our product and with our customers to deliver this experience so they can know they are investing in the safest and most efficient fleet.”