SECTION 6.0 ACCIDENTS,INCIDENTS, AND EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

6.1 Driving Behavior

Driving behaviors that lead to accidents include:

  1. Using a cell phone while driving.
  2. Following too closely behind the vehicle in front.
  3. Sitting still, looking straight ahead while at an intersection.
  4. Speeding up when approaching a stale green light.
  5. Running yellow lights.
  6. Rolling through stop signs.
  7. Taking off quickly, as soon as a red light turns green, without first looking.
  8. Changing lanes without first looking.
  9. Changing lanes without first signaling.
  10. Driving over the speed limit.
  11. Driving too fast for conditions.
  12. Closing the door and leaving the bus stop the moment the last passenger gets off.
  13. Backing the bus without a spotter.
  14. Backing the bus without first getting out and looking.
  15. Driving the bus without first doing a thorough pre-trip inspection.
  16. Driving in the wrong lane.
  17. Pulling out in front of other vehicles even when there isn’t enough room.
  18. Driving around railroad gates that are down.
  19. Not looking for pedestrians, cyclists, or motorcycles at intersections.

Driving behaviors that prevent accidents include:

  1. Looking fifteen (15) seconds ahead to be well prepared.
  2. Constantly moving eyes and remaining aware of surroundings.
  3. Maintaining a four (4) second following distance.
  4. Ensuring other drivers and pedestrians know intentions.
  5. Turning off the cell phone before driving.
  6. Delivering passengers only to their designated bus stops.
  7. Covering the brake when approaching a stale green light.
  8. Looking left, right, and left again before entering any intersection.
  9. Coming to a complete stop at every stop sign.
  10. Stopping fifteen (15) to fifty (50) feet away from railroad tracks, opening the door, looking, and listening before crossing.
  11. Avoiding backing the bus.
  12. Looking for pedestrians using the ‘rock and roll’ method when at an intersection.
  13. Positioning the bus using reference points.
  14. Smiling and greeting each passenger with a friendly, courteous greeting.
  15. Staying late if running late.
  16. Following the rules.
  17. Obeying the law.
  18. Treating all passengers with respect.

6.2 Accidents

An accident is defined as an unplanned event that disrupts activity, involves or affects people, and has a cause.

Throughout this section, the terms passenger or passengers include all persons on MOTA vehicles and persons entering or exiting MOTA vehicles.

6.2.1AccidentPrevention

Without exception, accidents have a cause, and people are the root cause of all accidents. Although many reasons can be given for accidents, accidents occur for three primary reasons:

  1. People fail to pay attention.
  2. People exceed their performance capabilities.
  3. People develop patterns of unsafe behavior.

Operating a transit vehicle in a safe and prudent manner, at all times, is the primary responsibility of the vehicle operator. Efficient transit service, safe operation, and the protection of company assets depend upon an operator conscientiously remembering and applying correct vehicle operating procedures, and abiding by all traffic laws and regulations. This means that a MOTA operator must always drive defensively, and do everything reasonably possible to avoid an accident. To help better understand what that involves, the following situations provide basic guidance on what should be preventable when operating a transit vehicle. These guidelines are adapted from National Safety Council standards that are uniformly followed in the bus transit industry.

  1. Intersections – It is the responsibility of professional drivers to approach, enter, and cross intersections prepared to avoid accidents that may occur through the actions of other drivers. Complex traffic movement, blind intersections, or the failure of other drivers to conform to law or traffic control devices does not mean that an accident was not preventable. The professional driver’s failure to take precautionary measures prior to entering an intersection can mean that an accident was preventable even though the driver did not violate traffic laws.
  2. Vehicle Ahead – Regardless of an abrupt or unexpected stop by a vehicle ahead, the professional driver can prevent front-end collisions by maintaining a safe following distance behind other vehicles at all times and driving cautiously. This includes staying aware of changing road conditions, the weather, traffic obstacles, and the failure of other drivers to abide by prudent and safe road behavior.
  3. Vehicle Behind – Drivers risk being struck from behind when they fail to maintain a margin of safety in their own following distance. Rear-end collisions should also be considered preventable accidents when they are preceded by the driver’s failure to signal intentions; to slow down or stop gradually; or to respond correctly when a traffic signal is changing.
  4. Passing – Failure to pass vehicles safely indicates faulty judgment and the failure to consider the important factors a driver must observe before attempting this maneuver. These include traffic levels, visibility, and road conditions. The entire passing procedure is voluntary, and it is the driver’s responsibility.
  5. Being Passed – Sideswipes and cut-offs that may result in an accident while a professional driver is being passed should be preventable. The driver must always yield to the passing vehicle or move to the right when possible.
  6. Oncoming Vehicle – The actions taken by the professional driver prior to a collision with a vehicle approaching from the opposite direction determines preventability. Even when an approaching vehicle enters the professional driver’s traffic lane, it may be possible for them to avoid the accident. Factors that can be considered include whether the opposing vehicle was passing and the operator failed to slow down, stop, or move to the right and allow the other vehicle to re-enter their lane. Failure to signal the approaching driver by flicking the headlights or sounding the horn can also affect the determination.
  7. Backing – Backing accidents are preventable. Professional drivers should not be relieved of responsibility to back safely, even when a spotter is involved in the maneuver. A guide or spotter cannot control the movement of a vehicle. Only the driver can ensure that clearances are sufficient for backing, or that another route must be used for pickups and drop-offs.
  8. Passenger Accidents – Passenger accidents, in any type of vehicle, are preventable when the cause is unsafe or improper driving. Avoidable driver behavior that leads to at-fault passenger injuries includes abrupt starts, stops, and turns; diverting attention from the road; and not operating equipment properly. Only alertness, safe procedures, and following work rules prevent accidents and injuries.
  9. Pedestrians – Traffic regulations and the courts often favor the pedestrian hit by a moving vehicle. School zones, shopping areas, residential streets and other areas with pedestrian traffic must always be cautiously traveled and at reduced speeds. This is also true where bicycles, scooters, and motorized mobility devices are used on the roads. The driver who fails to adjust his/her driving to these conditions has failed to take the necessary precautions to prevent an accident.
  10. Fixed Objects – Collisions with fixed objects are preventable. They usually involve a failure to check or properly judge clearances. New routes, unfamiliar stops, overhangs, poor pavement, and related conditions are not sufficient reasons for excusing a professional driver from hitting an object. The driver should constantly be looking for such conditions and making necessary allowances to avoid damages or injuries.
  11. Weather Conditions – Adverse weather conditions are not a valid reason for being involved in an accident. Rain, snow, fog, sleet or icy pavements do not in themselves cause accidents. They merely increase the hazards of driving. An accident may be judged preventable if the driver has failed to adjust his/her driving to the prevailing weather conditions.
  12. Parking – Unconventional parking locations, including double parking or parking in a lot intended for personal passenger vehicles that the bus may obstruct, are grounds for judging an accident preventable. This is also true for failures to park a vehicle and place the gear in Park, and failure to engage the emergency brake to prevent roll-away accidents.
  13. Defensive Driving – A safe and prudent professional driver is a defensive driver, and one who abides by the following practices:

a)A defensive driver is one who commits no driving errors, and makes allowances for the lack of skill or improper driving practices of other drivers.

b)A defensive driver adjusts his/her driving to compensate for unusual weather, road, and traffic conditions.

c)A defensive driver knows when it is necessary to slow down, stop, or yield the right-of-way to avoid an accident.

6.2.2 Accident Procedures

The following procedures must be followed by all MOTA employees whose vehicles or passengers are involved in an accident.

  1. Report the accident immediately, using the appropriate radio10-codes as needed. Wait for acknowledgement and/or instructions from dispatch. Before leaving the vehicle, open the window next to the driver’s seat, and place the radio microphone outside the vehicle through the open window.
  2. Keep the vehicle in the position where it stopped following the accident until a police officer or a supervisor arrives and authorizes the vehicle to be moved.
  3. Do not attempt to move a person who is seriously injured, but make the person as comfortable as possible by keeping the person warm and assuring them that help has been called.
  4. Make no statements, verbal or written, to anyone in regard to the accident except to police or MOTA officials. Do not admit fault. Do not make promises to send doctors to the home of the injured passengers, argue about who is at fault, or comment on the condition of the equipment or the street, except to police or MOTA officials.
  5. If the mechanical condition of the vehicle is questioned, a supervisor should be notified and a mechanic sent to the scene of the accident to determine whether the vehicle should remain in service. Any citation due to mechanical failure will be dealt with on an individual basis.
  6. Secure courtesy cards from all persons near or involved in the accident. Business cards with name and address are sufficient. Write down license number of other vehicles involved in the accident or which were in a position for their drivers to have witnessed the accident. In a collision with another vehicle, obtain the names and addresses of every occupant, indicating which occupant was the driver. The operator may provide his/her name and vehicle number to the other party if requested.
  7. In cases where there is no damage to any person, vehicle, property, and the other party involved voluntarily admits fault or responsibility in writing, the operator may proceed when authorized to do so by the police, a supervisor or dispatch. The name and address of the other persons involved must be included in the accident report. Should an accident result in personal injury, the operator must wait for the police. The accident must be reported to dispatch immediately and a written accident report must be submitted within 24 hours.
  8. If the operator is requested by the police to sign a complaint against a person involved in an accident involving a MOTA vehicle, and the operator is personally aware of a violation by that person, the operator may sign such a complaint. If the operator has no knowledge of a violation or is unsure, the operator should inform the police.
  9. If a dog, deer, or other animal is injured by the vehicle, notify the dispatcher without delay so that the police or the Humane Society may be contacted.
  10. Make a full written report of the accident as soon as possible, but no later than twenty-four (24) hours after the accident. In some cases, a preliminary report may be required immediately.
  11. The operator may be required to submit to substance testing, pursuant to federal law and/or MOTA policy.

6.3 Incidents

6.3.1 Incident Procedures

Transporting a passenger who is impaired by alcohol and/or drugs, or who is being disruptive, while riding a MOTA vehicle, can be hazardous for the passenger, other passengers, and the bus operator. Impaired or problem passengers can injure themselves and others as well as create liability claims or civil suits against MOTA. Under the Michigan No-Fault insurance law, MOTA can be held responsible for medical and property damage expenses should such a passenger or others become injured on a MOTA vehicle and the passenger does not have insurance coverage. These risks require that procedures be established to clearly manage impaired and disruptive passengers.

While it is expected that the operator will use best judgment and common sense with problem passengers, operators are also expected to follow the procedures listed below to retain control of all situations.

  1. Service cannot be denied to a passenger unless the passenger breaks the law or demonstrates unacceptable behavior.
  2. An operator shall not initiate or engage in a physical encounter with anyone except in the event of a direct assault on the operator or a passenger.
  3. If the passenger is disruptive or harassing ask the passenger to please stop. In the case of an intellectually disabled individual, the agency and/or the home provider must be contacted for proper procedure.
  4. If the passenger continues to be disruptive or harassing, ask the passenger to leave the bus. In the case of an intellectually disabled individual, notify dispatch. Dispatch will contact the home provider or agency and instruct the operator on the action to be taken. At all times, remain calm and do not engage in a verbal or physical confrontation with the problem passenger.
  5. Open the vehicle doors and allow the passenger to leave. Never block or obstruct the area between a problem passenger and an exit door. Allow an impaired passenger to move away from the bus before continuing to drive.
  6. If the passenger refuses to leave, contact the dispatcher using the radio 10-codes, and wait for instructions.
  7. If the passenger becomes threatening or dangerous, stop the bus as safely as possible; apply the four-way flashers, contact dispatch, and calmly evacuate the vehicle.
  8. Secure courtesy cards from all persons near or involved in the incident. Business cards with name and address are sufficient.
  9. Upon returning to MOTA, report to a supervisor and write up the incident on an incident report form.
  10. If an operator was assaulted by a passenger or passengers, a police report should be filed as soon as possible.

6.4 Courtesy Cards

Follow these steps to make good use of courtesy cards:

  1. Never refer to courtesy cards as witness cards. This scares people immediately. Actually, only a very small number of those filling out a courtesy card will be called as witnesses, if any are, so calling them witness cards is inaccurate.
  2. Distribute the cards as soon as possible.
  3. Assume people will fill out a courtesy card. As casually as possible explain simply that MOTA needs to know who was present at the accident and start passing the courtesy cards out to everyone.
  4. Talk as little as possible. Do not give people time to think too long about filling out the courtesy cards, or to be scared by any fears about the consequences of the accident. MOTA does not want people to say in court that their comments were influenced by the operator.
  5. Pass out the courtesy cards first to those who were in the best seats to view the accident. In case others decide not to fill out courtesy cards, the most important courtesy cards will still be filled out.
  6. Begin distributing courtesy cards from the back, then start picking them up from the back after the courtesy cards have been filled out. In this way, if one of the passengers in the back refuses to fill out a courtesy card, it is less likely that the rest of the bus will be aware of the refusal. If one passenger loudly or visibly refuses to fill out a courtesy card, the rest of the passengers may change their minds about filling out a courtesy card.
  7. Pick up the courtesy cards as soon as they are completed before people change their minds about handing them in.
  8. People who observe an accident from outside the bus may be in a better position to get a good view of what caused it than the passengers are. Do not forget to give them courtesy cards.
  9. Ask people to make clear what they have written if it is hard to read.
  10. Check for the person’s name and phone numbers.

6.5Vehicle Fires

Operators should be concerned about the danger of fires in vehicles. Once started, fires double in size every 18 seconds, and rapidly damage and destroy equipment. Fires also pose a serious hazard to operators and passengers. If passengers are threatened by fire and smoke in unfamiliar surroundings, they may panic and serious injuries can occur. Operators must know what steps to take quickly should the operator suspect a vehicle fire or should one happen. Always remember that passenger safety is the operator’s primary concern.

At the first indication or suspicion of a fire on a vehicle, the operator should immediately stop the vehicle and calmly evacuate passengers as quickly as possible.