Facilitators’ Guide

Helping People Get…A Better View

This guide is designed to help you in your approach to presenting the DVD and to help your audience get the most out of it. Through the combination of scenes and demonstrations presented on the DVD, and this guide’s illustrative overview, school bus drivers will learn how to adjust their mirrors so that blind spots to the front and sides of the vehicle, an area called “the danger zone,” can be eliminated.

The most important thing to stress is that improperly adjusted mirrors on a school bus may lead to an accident...or a fatal tragedy. So it’s critical that drivers know the extent of blind spots around their vehicle, recognize the mirror systems’ field of view, and understand the mirror adjustment procedures. With this DVD (and the overview which should be given to each participant) your session will increase understanding and promote vehicle safety.

Beginning Your Session

Start by acknowledging and discussing concerns about school bus accidents due to poor visibility to the front and side of the bus. The people in your session are professionals who are aware of the responsibilities and challenges of transporting children. Let them know that this DVD was put together to help promote school bus safety and the importance of properly adjusted mirrors.

Let them know that you’ll be handing out a summary of the mirror adjustment procedures contained in the DVD and providing them with a toll free number and a Web site address where they can get further information on school bus safety.

The DVD

The DVD lasts about 16 minutes. It’s a straightforward, show and tell presentation beginning with a look at what can happen when mirrors are not adjusted properly. What follows is the explanation of the danger zone, and the introduction of the school bus mirror systems. The DVD then walks you through the adjustment procedures one mirror at a time.

After viewing the DVD ‑ An Emphasis on Safety and Detail

After viewing the DVD, encourage people to ask questions if they have any misunderstandings or need clarification about the process or the mirrors themselves. This whole initiative is about safety, so it’s critical to reinforce the reasons for creating a complete and clear field of view around the bus.

Make enough copies of the Overview Section for everyone in the session. Encourage people to take an extra copy to keep in the glove compartment or other place in the bus. If your group has questions that are not addressed in the DVD, encourage the participants to contact Transport Canada.