A poor commentary for 9-1-1

[lrrifleman]

I was driving a standard school bus for a company that contracts services with most of the school districts in Southern New Jersey.

Under state regulations, any and all accidents require an accident report that is submitted to the State Department of Education which tracks any driver that operates a school bus. Had I left without a directive from my employer, I would be subject to charges for leaving the scene of an accident.

As such, I had to comply with:
Company policy
State motor vehicle regulations
State Department of Education regulations, and
Federal Motor Carrier regulations.

The slightest oversight could cost me my endorsements and/or my CDL.

Also, school resource officers rarely accompany class trips, and wouldn't be authorized to do an accident report and get it into the system.

 

[OldSchoolFool]

Yesterday, I drove an elementary school to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. After I was loaded and waiting for an opportunity to pull out of the pickup line, I was sideswiped by another school bus in what amounted to a hit-and-run accident. I called 911 moments after the impact, and at 20 and 40 minutes after the initial impact. In each call I emphasized that I was a school bus with students on board at the time of the accident. After an hour, I was still waiting for the police to arrive. At which time, my company directed me to depart the accident scene.

My feeling is that if the police can't respond to an accident involving a school bus with students on board, where on the priority scale does the victim in an armed

In most states, collisions on private property (i.e., school grounds) do not result in any enforcement action as traffic laws are only enforceable on dedicated streets and roadways. Basically, the police are doing the insurance companies job - documenting damage, talking to people who witnessed the collision, if any, and filing a report. As for “leaving the scene” of the collision, normally an offense, it is unlikely the school bus driver even knew a collision occurred.
Many jurisdictions no longer even respond to private property collisions with no injuries. There’s no justice to dispense, no public safety issues, just claim amounts to be paid out. Let the insurance companies sort out liability, it’s what they do.

Yesterday, I drove an elementary school to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. After I was loaded and waiting for an opportunity to pull out of the pickup line, I was sideswiped by another school bus in what amounted to a hit-and-run accident. I called 911 moments after the impact, and at 20 and 40 minutes after the initial impact. In each call I emphasized that I was a school bus with students on board at the time of the accident. After an hour, I was still waiting for the police to arrive. At which time, my company directed me to depart the accident scene.

My feeling is that if the police can't respond to an accident involving a school bus with students on board, where on the priority scale does the victim in an armed assault lay?

 

[lrrifleman]

In most states, collisions on private property (i.e., school grounds) do not result in any enforcement action as traffic laws are only enforceable on dedicated streets and roadways. Basically, the police are doing the insurance companies job - documenting damage, talking to people who witnessed the collision, if any, and filing a report. As for “leaving the scene” of the collision, normally an offense, it is unlikely the school bus driver even knew a collision occurred.
Many jurisdictions no longer even respond to private property collisions with no injuries. There’s no justice to dispense, no public safety issues, just claim amounts to be paid out. Let the insurance companies sort out liability, it’s what they do.

This collision occurred on a public street in Philadelphia. Both buses were occupied by the driver, plus 38 passengers on my bus.