Georgia DPS leads simulator training for Savannah-Chatham County school bus drivers

Sergeant First Class Brandon Wall of the Georgia Department of Public Safety’s Motor Carrier Compliance Division led a big-rig simulator session for Savannah-Chatham County Public School System bus drivers, demonstrating mirror checks, speed thresholds and distraction responses during a visit officials said is funded by a federal grant.

District staff said the visit is free to the school system and intended to educate the district’s bus drivers on how quickly collisions can occur and how to reduce risks for students on board. “He's with the Georgia Department of Public Safety Motor Carrier Compliance Division. And the big rig visit, it's free to us. All part of a federal grant helping educate our 200 plus school bus drivers,” said Ken Slatz, a staff member with the Savannah-Chatham County Public School System.

“The whole point of this is to watch all your mirrors. Just to know what to look for, just how quick something can happen because we have been seeing the uptick and a lot of, whether it be CMV crashes or regular vehicle crashes,” Wall said, describing the safety rationale for the demonstration. In the simulator, Wall instructed drivers on basic control cues: “Right side, you gas. Left side, you brake. The little paddle shifters on the back, that's your turn signals. It's to teach the dangers of driving and what to watch out for.”

Wall also told attendees to maintain a target speed range during the exercises: “Whenever it tells you to do something, do what you think is right. Okay? Just make sure you're between that 50 and 60 mile an hour threshold.” He warned drivers about common on-road distractions: “There's a lot of noise going on, people talking to you, phones ringing. That way that it it it's trying to distract you,” and explained the simulator includes distractions to train drivers to scan mirrors and react appropriately.

A staff member at the session said the training “enhances the safety aspects of driving, which, you know, when we have that precious cargo on the bus, that's a plus.” Ken Slatz said the simulator visit is intended as one tool among others to “help create the safest environment for your children when they board the buses at SCCPSS.”

The session focused on practical driving skills and situational awareness rather than new district policy or formal actions. District officials characterized the visit as an educational outreach funded by a federal grant; no contract, ordinance or vote was discussed during the excerpted remarks.