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Bus drivers using cell phones with kids onboard

by Cheryl Mettendorf & David Henry

PHILADELPHIA - May 20, 2010 (WPVI) -- The big yellow school bus is an American icon that we trust to safely carry our children to and from school every day.

But, our Action News investigation has found that hundreds of kids are in danger every day, because some drivers of these buses might as well be drunk behind the wheel.

Action News randomly monitored school bus drivers in six area communities including Upper Darby, Lower Merion, Norristown, Springfield, and Ridley Park. Most appeared to be attentive and driving safely, except in one school district where talking and texting on a handheld cell phone is illegal - the city of Philadelphia.

Action News saw Philadelphia school bus drivers chatting away with cell phones pressed to their ears.

Sometimes the buses were empty, but other times there were children onboard.

One driver was wearing earphones, and even waved at our camera as he passed by.

Our camera also caught a driver who appears to be texting behind the wheel.

We showed our video to school district officials.

The district says it will work to identify and discipline the drivers if they confirm they were using cell phones behind the wheel.

"Certainly that is not acceptable. The drivers are trained to keep both hands on the wheel, to monitor the activities on the road, and be conscious of the traffic around them," John Lombardi of the School District of Philadelphia said.

The district says it will now remind all drivers of its strict policy against distracted driving.

Children are precious cargo, but they're not the only ones at risk because of distracted bus drivers.

Last February, Michael Carroll was pinned in his burning car and his passenger was killed after a school bus in Lower Frederick Township turned right in front of them.

Today, he's in a wheelchair in constant pain, nursing a broken body and broken psyche.

"Between the fire and stuff, I really thought I was going to die in that car, being pinned in, and the pain. I thank God I'm alive," Carroll said.

Police say the driver of the school bus, Frederick Poust, who's now charged with homicide, had been talking on the phone, listening to a boom box and ignored 10 stop signs before the accident.

10 years earlier, he had been cited for blowing through a stop sign while dialing his phone. That crash killed a two year old girl.

"Here was a bus driver who was literally poster boy for distracted driving," attorney Thomas Kline said.

Carroll and his lawyer are suing the bus company that hired him.

They say the company could have easily learned of Poust's previous fatal accident by digging a little deeper into his past.

"We have so many laws to protect people's privacy, but there was no law there to protect my, my life," Carroll said.

But that may be changing soon.

A bill is moving through the state legislature to outlaw the use of handheld cell phones while driving.

The bill's sponsor, Representative Josh Shapiro (D) of Montgomery County, had this reaction to our investigation of school bus drivers, "Stunning. Shocking. Outrageous. These people are entrusted with driving our children."

Representative Shapiro says it's not enough to just pass legislation, we also need tough enforcement. As we've seen with the Philadelphia bus drivers, laws alone are not enough to limit dangerous behavior.

Atlantic Express Statement:

Atlantic Express told Action News a memo issued to employees makes clear that the company strictly prohibits drivers from using cell phones and texting while operating their school buses. Employees are also prohibited from using bluetooth while driving as talking may cause a distraction. Atlantic Express tells Action News they have a progressive disciplinary procedures in place and violators will face disciplinary action after a hearing.
-Jeff Rollo/Atlantic Express