JUL 14 2003
Pete Baxter, Director
Division of School Traffic Safety
Indiana Dept. of Education
229 State House
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2798
NVS-215kjs

Dear Mr. Baxter:

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NIITSA) is writing this letter to provide State Pupil Transportation Directors with the enclosed annual NHTSA School Bus Safety Assurance Program Recall Listing. One purpose of the NHTSA School Bus Safety Assurance Program is to inform State Pupil Transportation Directors, State Transportation Inspection Program Directors, and other interested organizations of the current safety recalls involving school buses.

According to the National Association of State Directors Pupil Transportation Services (NASDPTS), you are the representative or director of pupil transportation for your state. If this is not the case and there is someone else or another party we should be addressing, please forward this package on to the respective person.

NHTSA strongly recommends that a copy of the School Bus Safety Assurance Program Recall Listing be forwarded to each school district; also, since we do not have a list of the state inspectors, an additional copy has been provided to you for the inspector(s). In addition, NHTSA is requesting each State Pupil Transportation Director to encourage all state school districts to develop and implement a program that would ensure that all incomplete recall remedy work is performed on each school bus within the district’s fleet during the summer vacation maintenance period. School buses owned and/or operated by contractors should also be advised of the safety recalls and should provide assurances to the state/district that all recall work is completed.

School buses remain one of the safest forms of transportation in the United States. The success of the School Bus Safety Assurance Program is dependent on the willingness of everyone concerned with the transportation of children to review the enclosed recall listing and make every effort to ensure that buses within their purview are corrected during the summer vacation maintenance period.

If you have any questions concerning the School Bus Safety Assurance Program, please contact either Mrs. Kelly Schuler or Mr. George Person of my staff at 202-366-5227 or by facsimile at 202-366-7882. Mrs. Schuler can also be reached via e-mail at Kschuler@nhtsa.dot.~ov. This information is also available on the Internet at www.nhtsa.dot.gov. If you have any questions concerning a specific recall campaign, please call the involved manufacturer at the phone number given in the recall listing or call NHTSAs Auto Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236.

Sincerely,
Kathleen C. DeMeter, Director
Office of Defects Investigation
Enforcement

2 Enclosures:
School Bus Safety Assurance Program Recall Listing