Toyota's Initiatives to Secure School Bus Safety and Protect Youth Lives
In the wake of two heartbreaking incidents in 2021 and 2022, where kindergarten pupils lost their lives due to heatstroke after being left behind on school buses in Japan, Toyota has taken significant steps to improve school bus safety. The company's new measures aim to keep both drivers and passengers, particularly children, safe.
These safety measures have been designed from the perspectives of both children and drivers, ensuring that they are practical, effective, and easy to follow. In response to an appeal by a Toyota colleague, a team of 70 employees from various backgrounds and roles within the company has developed these safety measures.
The operational safety checks implemented by Toyota include strict protocols for drivers to operate flashing lights and pausing signs when children get on and off, confirming that all children are wearing seat belts before starting the bus, and ensuring that children have safely reached a safe place before departure. These protocols align with the Road Traffic Act specialized for school buses, emphasizing the use of flashing yellow and red lights, and a driver’s responsibility to confirm safety both on board and outside the bus.
Toyota's commitment to safety extends beyond school buses, with their life-saving features also present in passenger cars. The company promotes continuous improvement (kaizen) based on the Toyota Production System, which also influences their approach to safety enhancements.
However, details specific to new technological solutions or Toyota’s proprietary systems introduced after the 2021-2022 incidents are not explicitly outlined in the available sources. It is important to note that these measures are part of a broader legislative and safety practice framework in Japan for school buses, mandating visual signals and seat belt use designed to protect children.
The scorching summer temperatures in Japan pose a significant risk to children left inside school buses, with temperatures often exceeding 40 degrees Celsius. Toyota is taking steps to ensure that such tragedies are not repeated, although the specific safety measures to prevent pedal error accidents and those implemented for the safety of teachers and drivers have not been disclosed at this time.
In a recent development, Toyota joined a four-company collaboration to transform the future of Japan's commercial vehicles. The details of the specific safety measures implemented by this collaboration are yet to be disclosed. The goal of this collaboration is to eliminate school bus incidents by the summer of 2023.
[1] Road Traffic Act specialized for school buses, Japan [3] Toyota Production System [5] Details of the specific safety measures implemented by Toyota are yet to be disclosed.
In the pursuit of enhancing safety, Toyota has expanded their safety measures beyond school buses to encompass home-and-garden lifestyle and technology sectors, ensuring a safer environment for all. For instance, innovations in smart home devices could potentially include features that monitor the temperature of empty rooms, alerting users if it exceeds safe levels, thus preventing yet another tragic event. Furthermore, Toyota's progress in autonomous vehicle technology could lead to the development of school buses equipped with advanced safety systems, reducing the risk of pedal error accidents or leaving children behind.
