Runaway school bus

[zzontar]

http://www.castanet.net/edition/news-st ... htm#121002

A runaway school bus crashed into two cars when its brakes failed Wednesday afternoon in Vernon.

The driver, a 35-year-old Saskatchewan woman, was with six children in the bus at the parking lot above Kal Beach when it began rolling backwards.

The rolling bus struck a F350 truck and then continued rolling through the parking lot, hitting a Toyota Sienna van and pushing it through a chain link fence.

Vernon RCMP say the parking lot is usually quite busy, and it's fortunate no one was hurt in the incident.

An officer at the scene promptly ordered the bus be taken out of service until it passes a mechanical safety inspection.

It's a good thing no one was killed, especially seeing as she could have just given it some gas in "drive" as soon as it started rolling backwards! Don't school buses have emergency brakes as well? Seems like a case of panic over pro-active reaction.

[atenbacon]

It's a good thing no one was killed, especially seeing as she could have just given it some gas in "drive" as soon as it started rolling backwards! Don't school buses have emergency brakes as well? Seems like a case of panic over pro-active reaction.

Shift a bus that is rolling backwards and the brakes failed into drive?

Uhhuh... yeah. Thanks for the tip bus expert guy.

[zzontar]

Shift a bus that is rolling backwards and the brakes failed into drive?

Uhhuh... yeah. Thanks for the tip bus expert guy.

I'm assuming the bus was running, the instant it started rolling back she could have shifted it into drive in a second if she wasn't in drive already in which case she just had to give it gas. Then there's the e-brake which I'm assuming you wouldn't think of either.

Of course if she, like you, would wait until the bus picks up speed and starts careening into cars and THEN tries to put it in drive it would be more difficult.

[atenbacon]

I'm assuming......

Indeed.

[Bsuds]

The news story is a bit vague as it does not tell us whether anyone was in the bus when it rolled or if the bus was parked or just stopped and still running.
Without more information it is all assumptions.

[zzontar]

Indeed.

*removed* If she was parked and in "park" it wouldn't start rolling unless the torque pin was broken. What's your theory, the torque pin was broken, the e-brake suddenly failed, and it couldn't be put in gear?

[LTD]

trucks and busses with automatics don't have a park pin due to weight they use neutral position and the park brake that someone forgot to set

[zzontar]

trucks and busses with automatics don't have a park pin due to weight they use neutral position and the park brake that someone forgot to set

Good to know, I thought the smaller buses had them.

[LTD]

that old pile of crap may have had a manual in it that someone left in neutral

[dogspoiler]

The driver was from Saskatchewan, they have never had a vehicle roll away there.