Volume 39 Issue 1 • January 2009
Going on Auto-Pilot Shelly Jonas A friend of mine recently called me to relay a very embarrassing moment she just endured. She said she was stopping on her lunch break to do some Christmas shopping at a Target store along the freeway. Her mother was undergoing some medical testing that day and she noticed she had three messages from her on her phone. As she was furiously trying to track her mother down and text message her husband, she walked into the restroom. A few moments later, she heard male voices in the restroom and thought it was a little strange they would send cleaners in the restroom without checking if there were women in there. Then the realization hit. She was so preoccupied with her sick mother, getting in touch with her husband and all that she had to do for the holidays that she had walked into the men’s restroom!!! She told me she shops in Target stores all the time, but this store was set with the men’s room on the left instead of on the right like the one she frequents. She said it was like she was on auto-pilot. Aside from being a funny story, it made me think about how many times in life when we are under a lot of pressure we rely on “auto-pilot” to get through the day. We may end up half-listening to our kids or our spouse while cooking dinner because we have so much running through our mind. How many of us would admit that we missed a freeway exit because we simply weren’t paying attention? Or walked into a room and forgot what we were there for? However, we all know that when it comes to school bus safety, there is no auto-pilot. Make sure you talk to your drivers about complacency issues. Are they counting the kids as they cross? Every single day? Making one mistake there could be deadly. What about the pre-trip inspection? Are they cutting corners because it is soooo cold? What about the post-trip inspection? Once again, forgetting to check for sleeping kids could have deadly results. What about tuning out other traffic hazards? A woman recently was hit and killed by a school bus in New Jersey. The bus driver had just dropped off students at the high school following a swim meet at 10 p.m. when she hit the woman in a crosswalk, less than 30 yards from the school driveway. Did the bus driver not expect a pedestrian to be out walking at that time of night? Drivers must learn how to expect the unexpected. What about tuning out the passengers? A driver and bus aide in New York are facing criminal charges for failing to protect a student from three bullies. Did the driver feel it was a case of “harmless” teasing? As you can see, there are a myriad of complacency issues to discuss. In 2009, make sure that complacency issues are brought up often with your drivers. We all get into ruts. We all get distracted by the pressures of day-to-day life. Make sure your bus drivers recognize the risk!
SEE YOU AT THE CONFERENCE IN MANKATO!!!