Report aims to reduce transportation risks.

AFTER A TRAGIC PLANE ACCIDENT killed 10 Oklahoma State University athletes and staff in 2001, the school initiated a series of changes at the request of the National Transportation Safety Board to promote safer travel and minimize risk.

Now a report produced by the American Council on Education (ACE), the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and United Educators Insurance builds on that work to provide guidance for all administrators who must address student transportation safety.

The report, "Safety in Student Transportation: A Resource Guide for Colleges and Universities," examines common accident causes and offers travel safety guidelines.

Institutions are encouraged to examine their own risk factors in applying the suggestions to their individual campuses.

The report's recommendations can be applied to any institution, notes ACE President David Ward. "The safety suggestions in the report are specific, but outlined in a way that allows them to be employed flexibly to meet individual needs and campus situations," he said.

Administrators can draw from a number of policy recommendations in drafting their own programs for vehicle travel and air travel, including:

* Keeping photocopied records to confirm that the institution checked driver's licenses.

* Requiring the driver to have a certain number of years or miles of driving experience.

* Checking the driver's motor vehicle history.

* Limiting the distance, number of hours, or number of passengers that students may drive.

* Prohibiting students from using personal vehicles for institution-related trips.

* Prohibiting students and recruits from flying on donated flights.

* Prohibiting flying into forecasted hazardous weather.

* Limiting the number of key passengers on any one flight.

The full text of "Safety in Student Transportation: A Resource Guide for Colleges and Universities" is available through ACE (www.acenet.edu/bookstore), the NCAA (www.ncaa.org), or United Educators (www.ue.org).