# Why do school bus drivers open the door at railroad tracks? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 27, 2017, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036 "2017-10-27T23:26:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/21 "2017-10-30T14:02:28Z")
OK, so it happened once in the years before buses were required to stop and open their doors, and once in the years since buses have been required to stop and open their doors. Absolutely nothing can be concluded from that. There may have been some other rules passed in the wake of that 1995 incident, but they were already opening doors at crossings well before that. Certainly by 1990, which was the last year I was riding school buses. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/22 "2017-10-30T14:03:37Z")
Correction: At least once before, and at least twice after, but the after time has been a lot longer than the before time. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/23 "2017-10-30T16:39:57Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The reasoning is clear, yet I’ve had a couple of bus drivers stop ON the tracks and then open the doors. Yeah, but the view up the tracks is better that way. If you stop short of the tracks, opening the door doesn’t help you see; the forward roof pillar is still in the way. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/24 "2017-10-30T16:45:39Z")
Not sure it’s the same reason, but pilots are reminded to crack a door open if they’re about to crash, so it doesn’t jam shut and trap them inside. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/25 "2017-10-30T16:53:35Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Not sure it’s the same reason, but pilots are reminded to crack a door open if they’re about to crash, so it doesn’t jam shut and trap them inside. How does that help when the cockpit crushes into a refrigerator-sized lump? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Jumpbass](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jumpbass/32/147_2.png) [@Jumpbass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jumpbass)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/26 "2017-10-30T17:08:00Z")
I used to be a school bus driver. The above reasons are correct. It’s safer and doesn’t cost much. When I was driving, we had to stop whether we had passengers or not. Stop, open door, look, listen, close door, proceed if safe. Here’s the one you probably don’t know- no manual shifting until clear of the tracks. (Just trivia- I learned how to drive in a 1955 32’ Crown. Double clutch, no power steering. It had a granny gear that could climb a tree.) ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/27 "2017-10-30T17:18:34Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > The reasoning is clear, yet I’ve had a couple of bus drivers stop ON the tracks and then open the doors. This is how it’s invariably done around here – get up on top of the tracks, then open the door. And there’s no concerns with frosty Midwestern winter mornings down here in Louisiana. I made up my own explanation: that it was in case the bus broke down right there on the tracks … it would be easier to get the kids off quickly 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/28 "2017-10-30T17:56:17Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > How does that help when the cockpit crushes into a refrigerator-sized lump? > > :eek: ITSM the advice is aimed at forced landings in lightplanes which touch down at fairly low speeds and end up badly tweaked rather than crushed like a beer can under a bulldozer. Entrapment plus the ensuing fire is the big risk; the decel just isn’t that bad. As to fast jets and full-on crashes you’re right: the whole machine gets shredded as do the occupants. Door schmoor. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/29 "2017-10-30T17:59:40Z")
> [@bordelond](#): > > This is how it’s invariably done around here – get up on top of the tracks, then open the door. And there’s no concerns with frosty Midwestern winter mornings down here in Louisiana. > > I made up my own explanation: that it was in case the bus broke down right there on the tracks … it would be easier to get the kids off quickly 😃 Perrrfect! I love it. This, like the monkey motion with food handling cashiers and disposable gloves, is a fine example of the rationale behind a rule getting totally lost in the mindless execution of it. So folks end up doing something worse than useless while whining about senseless regulations. But the lack of sense is totally inside themselves and their supervisors / trainers. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/30 "2017-10-30T18:33:02Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > ITSM the advice is aimed at forced landings in lightplanes which touch down at fairly low speeds and end up badly tweaked rather than crushed like a beer can under a bulldozer. Yes, I should have been clearer. But if a big ol’ freight train hits a school bus, it really isn’t going to matter if the door was open. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/31 "2017-10-30T19:06:51Z")
Ref **bordelond** it will to the kids who got out through the open door first. But for sure not the rest. 🙂 Which reminds me of another useful aviation tidbit: Q: What’s the procedure for a forced landing at night? A: Glide down to a couple hundred feet AGL. Turn on your landing lights. If you like what you see, land. If you don’t like what you see, turn off the lights. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/32 "2017-10-30T20:07:40Z")
If I were one of the kids, I’d hope I’d be smart enough to use the big old back door that says **Emergency Exit**. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2017, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/33 "2017-10-30T21:38:34Z")
Especially if the front door is right over the tracks, while a train is coming. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/34 "2017-10-31T09:29:11Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > How do you know an accident wasn’t avoided if there wasn’t an accident? I’ll tell you how, statistics. If you can show that on average a certain number of bus accidents occurred every million miles driven and that they average dropped significantly after you required them comply with the stop and look regulation then you can say that it is working. > > This argument against any regulation is just appalling, especially for a regulation that cost practically nothing and saves children’s lives. Stopping at railroad crossings and painting warning signs on the rear of a bus cost practically nothing. So, what are the statistics? If several measures are taken to reduce accidents, how do you know which of them worked? Statistics? I made no argument against regulation. I speculated on how the regulation might have come into being, which, curiously, was the question the OP asked. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 9:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/35 "2017-10-31T09:40:00Z")
wonderful country we have where stopping at RR tracks likely saves an average of a few lives each year, but a person on a terrorist watch list is permitted to buy guns. For that matter, that guns are allowed at all. ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/36 "2017-10-31T10:12:38Z")
Children, puppies and kittens… Everyone else can fend for themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/37 "2017-10-31T13:28:48Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > wonderful country we have where stopping at RR tracks likely saves an average of a few lives each year, but a person on a terrorist watch list is permitted to buy guns. For that matter, that guns are allowed at all. **Moderator Note** **crucible** , political commentary like this is not permitted in General Questions. No warning issued, but don’t do this again. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/38 "2017-10-31T18:14:28Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Yep road a rural school bus for years. > > The other thing is habit. And it makes them more likely to come to a full stop, and check. You might notice that utility and other work trucks will leave an orange safety cone out behind the truck even when not working. Say just at lunch. It reminds/makes them to walk to the back of the truck and check for any obstacles. My Mom was an employee of the telephone company for many years. She said company rules required phone-company truck drivers to set cones down like that wherever they parked except on company property. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/39 "2017-10-31T18:47:33Z")
A couple of weeks ago, my apartment complex was upgrading the phone connections in all of the units, so there were a bunch of AT&T vans out in the parking lot. Every one had an orange cone behind it, even though all of the workers were inside the buildings. I’d sort of wondered the reason behind that. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2017, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-school-bus-drivers-open-the-door-at-railroad-tracks/800036/40 "2017-10-31T19:13:34Z")
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