Be sure to check out the new Product Showcases for
Pupil Transportation Directors: |
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Neighbor Ordered to Stop Watching Friends' Children As They Wait for Bus
from Michigan Live
 Francie Brummel and Lisa Snyder thought they had a perfect solution to getting their two kids on the Thornapple Kellogg school district bus. But that solution has landed Snyder in hot water, and state Rep. Brian Calley, R.-Portland, Mich., is trying to fast-track legislation to undo the mess.
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Automakers Back Texting Ban
from The Detroit News
Major automakers endorsed a ban on texting and use of hand-held mobile phones while driving. The Alliance, which represents 11 automakers, supports an outright ban on using a hand-held mobile phone while driving, but also strongly supports allowing hands-free devices to make calls.
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Terror Probe: Why is the Threat Level Still Yellow?
from The Christian Science Monitor
The investigation into a potential Al Qaeda plot in the US has triggered a raft of warnings from federal authorities about suspicious activity around stadiums, hotels, and train stations, among other places. But it hasn't moved the color-coded terror alert system. Why?
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New Survey Shows Increased Belt Use
from Transportation Research Board
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has released a "Traffic Safety Facts Research Note" that explores results from the National Occupant Protection Use Survey. The survey indicates that seat belt use the United States in 2009 stood at 84 percent, a gain from 83 percent use in 2008.
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Panel: Out-of-School Activities Aid Learning
from Cleveland Live
Extracurricular activities should be preserved when school budgets are cut because they boost academic performance and give less-motivated students an incentive to stay in school, panelists at an education forum hosted by Cleveland Democratic Rep. Marcia Fudge.
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Lawmakers Weigh Next Move on Public-safety Spectrum
from Nextgov
Eight years after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks exposed an urgent need for an interoperable nationwide communications network for police, fire and rescue squads, Congress and the FCC are headed back to the drawing board. Their objective is a wireless broadband system that would enable first responders to communicate across jurisdictions and facilitate critical information during emergencies.
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Advocates Target Texting-While-Driving at Safety Summit
from Dayton Daily News
Safety advocates made the case for a ban on texting and cell phone use while driving at a recent safety summit by Ohio Department of Transportation Director Jolene M. Molitoris. David Teater, a senior director for the National Safety Council, told the group that his life changed in 2004 when his son Joe, 12, was killed in an accident caused by a driver using her cell phone.
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BUS-WATCH® by REI
Safety on the street is important, but did you know that the Bus Watch program starts on the inside of your buses? More Info.
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Strict Rules from Parents Lead to Safer-Driving Teens
from USA Today
Two studies in the journal Pediatrics show that parents have a big impact on the safety of teen drivers. Parents who are actively involved in setting rules and boundaries, and following up on those rules, lead to safer drivers. Teens who say their parents are actively involved cut their risk of drinking and driving by 70 percent, are half as likely to speed and 30 percent less likely to use a cellphone.
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U.S. Government Weighs Cell Phone Ban for Bus, Truck Drivers
from The Associated Press via Google
Safety investigators told federal regulators three years ago that it was dangerous for bus drivers to talk on cell phones while driving and recommended a ban. The National Transportation Safety Board put that recommendation on its list of most important safety measures. Industry and safety groups had no objections.
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Evaluation of Smart Video for Transit Event Detection
from Florida Department of Transportation
Transit agencies are increasingly using video cameras to fight crime and terrorism. As the volume of video data increases, the existing digital video surveillance systems provide the infrastructure only to capture, store and distribute video, while leaving the task of threat detection exclusively to human operators.
The objective of this research project was to study and develop an evaluation framework for commercial video analytics systems.
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Data System Would Help Schools Focus on Success
from The Houston Chronicle
As Texas aims to improve student performance and graduation rates, and qualify for funding available through President Obama's Race to the Top Fund, it is increasingly looking for ways to harness student data to make important decisions. A statewide system for standardizing education data across Texas is supported because the use of this information goes far beyond accountability.
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The Deadly Silence of the Electric Car
from The Washington Post
After years of trying to make cars sound as if they were riding on air, engineers are considering how they might bring back some noise. They're trying to make some of them -- those silent hybrids -- more audible. But how?
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Annual Summit Updates
- Scholarship Award Winners
Congratulations to Brian Wilbert of Pennington, N.J., and Carli Shanholtz of Romney, W.V.! They are the recipients of the Peter & Linda Lawrence Pupil Transportation Training Scholarship and will each receive a complementary conference registration for the 35th Annual NAPT Summit to be held in Louisville, Ky., from October 31- November 5.
"America's Best" Winners!
Congratulations to NAPT’s 2009 "America's Best" Technician, David Smith of Swanton, Ohio, and 2009 "America's Best" Inspector, Nikolas Warejcka, of Parker, CO. They will attend the 2009 NAPT Annual Summit, compliments of Bus Parts Warehouse and Zonar Systems. Michelin North America hosted the event at their Greenville, S.C., facility on September 22-25. Hydrotex and ASE were sponsors of the event, as well. Thank you to all who participated!
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Product Showcase: Transportation Solutions
Transportation Solutions has partnered with industry-leading routing software experts to offer school districts high quality, cutting-edge routing solutions that will improve your district’s transportation efficiency and give your supervisors control over every aspect of the routing process. With a few clicks of the mouse, current stops are reset; busloads are balanced; load time efficiency maximized; safety increased; mileage reduced and funding maximized. Contact: Charley Kennington, Transportation Solutions 713-744-6362 or email ckennington@esc4.net
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Product Showcase: UltraLED
 The all-new UltraLED warning lamp from Heavy Duty Bus Parts, Inc. helps to insure student passenger safety through greater visibility of the school bus. Dual flash patterns provide a choice of “steady state” or “rapid flash” to provide the same attention getting strobe like effect found on most emergency vehicles today at the affordable cost of under $50. UltraLED from Heavy Duty Bus Parts, Inc. More info
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Product Showcase:
Redistricting at the Click of a Mouse
"What if?" That’s the question you need to ask when managing changing student populations and building boundary scenarios. Trapeze Redistricting software allows you to balance classroom sizes, view the impact of boundary changes on enrolment and transportation and accurately forecast enrolment and transportation needs. Learn how Volusia County Schools saved countless man-hours with Trapeze Redistricting.
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Product Showcase: ZONAR'S ZING™
 ZONAR'S ZING™ is a powerful and intuitive dispatch, route management, navigation and two-way text messaging application that gives fleet managers unprecedented, real-time visibility and control. Two-way text messaging provides a powerful and easy-to-use communication link between drivers and dispatchers. ZING's user-friendly interface leverages the familiar look and feel of Zonar’s suite of award-winning productivity solutions. More info
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Product Showcase: EduRunBuilder
 EduRunBuilder captures GPS and transportation specific data using a basic cell phone, making route data collection simple! The intuitive interface requires almost no training or understanding of software operations and audible voice prompts make the process fool proof. Simply put, there is no easier or quicker way to gather required transportation information than EduRunBuilder. More info
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Heavy Duty Bus Parts
