The Road Safety Authority has been warned against any move to allow people over the age of 70 to drive school buses.
A report prepared by the National Office for Traffic Medicine for the RSA in August warns the Government about the potential risks from such a move.
Earlier this year, the Education Minister Norma Foley confirmed that the Government would examine whether or not to allow those over 70 to become school bus drivers. Currently, Bus Éireann does not permit anyone over that age to drive for the school bus scheme.
It sets out that restrictions around driving commercial and public transport are more stringent than private cars. The report, provided to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), says that there are “specific sensitivities” around school buses.
“There are theoretical reasons supported by empirical evidence which suggest more caution should be exercised when considering the requirements for drivers of school buses,” the report reads.
In particular, it highlights age as a concern, saying that this exists on both edges of the scale: younger cohorts and older cohorts. “At the younger end of the age scale, youth and inexperience have been identified as key risk factors for crash causation,” it reads.
It also sets out that school bus crashes occur at lower rates than other forms of public transport, but they can be “enormously traumatic when they occur” and cites driver error as the most common cause.
“It is clear that crash risk is elevated at both ends of the age spectrum: in one major study, the crash risk was increased by 40% for the under 25 drivers, and 350% for drivers over 65.”
The advice also warns of the potential impact of distracted driving, highlighting it as one of the main risk factors for road traffic collisions across the world. In particular, it warns that both visual and auditory distractions arising from a school bus environment can increase the risk factor for older drivers.
It also says that morbidity and illness risk factors are at a higher level in bus drivers. The report says that this must be kept in mind, particularly due to the prevalence of multiple illnesses in the general over-65 population in Ireland.
In addition, it says that compensatory measures that can be taken by an older driver when in a private car, like not driving when there is heavy traffic, or during bad weather, are not available to school bus drivers.
“Avoiding rush hour, bad weather, taking more simple routes cannot be assured in a setting where routine early morning winter and afternoon trips would be required for school bus operation,” the report reads.
In a letter to the PAC, Ken Spratt, Secretary General of the Department of Transport, confirmed that a copy of the report had been provided to the Minister for Education. There have been concerns raised in recent months about a shortage of bus drivers, with this being particularly acute within Cork.
Cuts to five Cork City routes were confirmed by Bus Éireann last month, with revised timetables for the 202, 202a, 205, 208 and the 24-hour 220 coming into effect on October 20.
Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has admitted that shortages have hit Cork the hardest, with the most recent figures showing a deficit of 25 drivers.
