Richard Eddington, a Park City School District bus driver and instructor, was awarded first place in the state at the Utah School Bus Driver Safety Competition held in the Alpine School District this spring.
According to Eddington, this is his second year winning the state competition and first year placing 4th at the 41st School Bus Driver International Safety Competition held in Baltimore, Maryland this July.
Eddington said the state and national competitions have similar requirements with each driver competing against the best-of-the-best.
“My favorite thing about the competition is meeting the other drivers and just having a good time. No matter where you are in the country, we all care about the same thing: student safety,” he said.
He said during the state competition, each driver is required to complete a knowledge test and vehicle inspection along with 10 skills tests, which Eddington said are like a bus driver’s obstacle course.
But Eddington said he didn’t do much to prepare for the event.
“It’s easy once you figure out the pivot points and wheel radius. I teach all of our drivers how to parallel park, and so I have to show them how to do it, but I don’t spend much time practicing,” he said.
His favorite test is the straight line test, where drivers are required to drive 125 feet without disturbing a series of tennis balls placed in pairs 26 to 30 inches apart.
He also enjoys the test that requires drivers to stop within two inches of a stop-sign without going over a line.
“The skills competition you don’t want to actually do on a regular road, but knowing how to operate your bus properly is the best way to save lives,” he said.
According to Eddington, each skills test is timed. He said some drivers take 25 minutes to complete all 10 tests, but he completed the series in less than 20 minutes.
Brent Chaston, Park City School District director of transportation, said Eddington brings a lot of enthusiasm his job.
“I’m impressed with his willingness to learn and adapt to changes and his willingness to be professional about what he does and to share what he knows with others,” Chaston said.
Bus driver training never ends and Chaston said his drivers are constantly learning.
“You want to be the best you can be. We’re transporting children and we’re out there with everyone else. You’re safety is also depending on how we operate and perform our daily duties,” he said.