Statement by the School Bus Information
Council
Carpenter School Buses
July 1, 2003
The School Bus Information
Council (SBIC) first became involved in this problem last April after a crash
in Florida caused us to send our own preliminary safety advisory to all state
directors of pupil transportation safety and others in the industry.
The problem is broken or
cracked welds in the roof structure that can cause the roof to collapse in the
event of a rollover crash. Not all
Carpenter buses have the broken or cracked welds. The problem is confined to all types of school buses built at the
Carpenter plant in Mitchell, Indiana, prior to its closing in late 1995. SBIC estimates that there could be as many
as 15,000 buses affected – just 3 percent of the national school bus fleet –
although the actual number may be significantly less since many of the Carpenter
school buses built at the Mitchell plant are no longer in service.
Importantly, parents and
school officials should know that school buses remain the safest way for
children to get to and from school.
SBIC is not aware of any injuries or fatalities to students that are
associated with this problem with Carpenter school buses. Indeed, fatalities to children riding in
school buses are extremely rare.
Because Carpenter
Manufacturing is no longer in business, a full-scale safety defect
investigation by NHTSA with a probable safety recall to repair the affected
buses for free cannot be made. NHTSA
has, therefore, recommended these options for Carpenter buses that are found to
have cracked or broken welds in the roof structure:
These recommendations by
NHTSA are the same as were issued by SBIC on April 30, 2003, however, SBIC also
advised states and local school districts to:
NHTSA also said, “… each
State and school bus operator must assess its own situation and circumstances
in deciding what actions to take.”
Clearly, NHTSA’s first recommendation is to replace the Carpenter school
buses as soon as possible. If that is
not possible or practicable, and a state or school bus operator attempts to
make a repair, NHTSA noted that “given
the age and the type of weld failures occurring in these buses, there is no
single repair that can assure adequate performance in a crash. Since NHTSA is not the vehicle manufacturer
and does not know all of the relevant details about the design and construction
of these buses, it cannot recommend any particular modification or repair
procedure.”
This guidance from NHTSA
clearly indicates that the overall condition of the Carpenter school buses will
ultimately contribute to the decision of whether it is possible to attempt a repair
to the broken or cracked welds, and if so how to accomplish the repair. These Carpenter school buses have been in
service 8 or more years, and in some instances may have developed rust
conditions that could have an effect on any repair attempt.
The SBIC urges states to
complete their inspections expeditiously and, following NHTSA’s guidance,
either replace or thoroughly repair affected buses back to their original
condition to ensure that pupil transportation – the safest way for children to
get to and from school – is not impeded.
As part of the school bus industry’s commitment to safety and the
environment, SBIC urges school districts that opt to replace their Carpenter
school buses to purchase models that have the newest safety equipment and are
powered by engines with the latest emission control technology.
School buses meet the toughest
safety requirements of any motor vehicle and have the best safety record in
the transportation industry. Indeed,
the greatest safety risk to children would be if a school district scrapped
the affected Carpenter school buses without replacing them immediately.
This would force students to get to and from school by riding with
parents or friends, or even walking or bicycling – all of which are riskier
ways to travel.