School transport and drugs: preventing before the accident
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Why is school transportation a particularly sensitive position?
The driver is responsible for the safety of minor passengers, often during early hours, on repeated routes and sometimes in difficult weather conditions. A lapse in vigilance can have immediate consequences.
Drug use is only one factor among others. Fatigue, sleep apnea, certain medications, illness, alcohol, or organizational pressure can also impair driving.
What the 2025 tragedy changed in the public debate
The fatal school bus accident in 2025 brought the prevention of addictive behaviors in child transport back to the forefront. The announcements grouped under the name Plan Joana notably focused on strengthening screening, driver training, and prevention measures.
However, it is important to distinguish an announcement, its deployment schedule, and an obligation already in effect. Transporters must verify applicable regulations, public contracts, and instructions from competent authorities rather than rely on a commercial summary.
The responsibilities of the transport company
The employer must assess risks and implement an appropriate organization. For driving positions, this notably involves defining immediate fitness conditions and situations where departure must be suspended.
- include addictive behaviors, fatigue, and medication in the DUERP;
- identify the most sensitive positions and routes;
- train management to observe facts without making improvised diagnoses;
- plan for a replacement driver;
- organize referral to occupational health and prevention services;
- document prevention measures without constituting abusive surveillance.
Is random screening automatically possible?
No. In a company, a saliva test must be justified by the nature of the position, proportionate to the risk, and provided for in the applicable internal framework. The Council of State decision of December 5, 2016, allowed the use of this type of test for particularly sensitive positions, under conditions and with guarantees for the employee.
The protocol must notably address prior information, authorized personnel, confidentiality, the possibility of a counter-expertise, and the procedure to follow after a positive result.
What to do when there is doubt before departure?
- delay departure and secure the passengers;
- involve a trained supervisor;
- record only observable facts;
- apply the internal procedure, including the test when legally provided;
- arrange for the driver’s replacement;
- plan for confirmation, medical evaluation, or necessary support.
Prevention and support are not opposed
A safety policy requires firm rules on driving, but it must also allow an employee to report a difficulty before an accident occurs. Access to occupational health, a doctor, a CSAPA, or Drogues Info Service is part of realistic prevention.
AMA Prévention’s support
AMA Prévention provides professional saliva tests, trains teams in their use, and helps transporters structure their awareness campaigns. Legal validation of the internal protocol remains essential.
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