School Bus Safety-Tips Parents need to know

As a parent, one of the most worrisome feelings in the world is the concern of how to keep your child safe when he/she is not in your care.

It is equally important that we in turn teach our children how to be safe when they ride the bus.

According to the National Safety Council, 22 million students across the country begin and end their day with a trip on a school bus.

Unfortunately many are injured each year and some are even killed in bus related incidents.

Statistics show that in the past eleven years, there have been at least 35 children that have died in a school bus related incident.

It is important to note that most safety related problems tend to occur outside of the bus; in fact, almost 2/3 of fatalities that are bus related occurred outside of the bus itself.

In order to minimize the threat of harm to our children it is important that we teach them bus safety rules for getting on and off the bus as well as for appropriate behavior while riding on the bus. Below are safety rules related to school bus safety.

• Children should arrive at the assigned bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. While waiting, children should stay away from the road, avoid alleys and private property, and abstain from roughhousing or careless behavior.
• As the bus is approaching it is important that children stay away from the road. To be safe, children should keep at least six feet away from the road. Children should line up to enter the bus in an orderly fashion, with no pushing or shoving.
• Before your child approaches the bus, the bus should be at a complete halt, the lights should be flashing, the door should be opened, and the bus driver should signal that it is okay for them to approach and enter the bus.(Very important rule for school bus safety!)
• When entering or leaving the bus, children should always use the handrail to avoid falls. Children should be cautious of clothing with drawstrings or bags with straps, to ensure they do not get caught in the handrail or door.
• When your child is crossing to get on or off the bus, they should stay well in front of the bus so that the driver can see them. Never, ever, let your child walk behind the bus for any reason.
• If your child must cross the street in front of the bus, he/she should walk at least ten feet ahead of the bus along the side until the driver and child make eye contact. Children should never cross in front of the bus until the driver signals an “ok,” even then they should watch for any sudden traffic changes. While other drivers are required by law to stop for school buses stopped to load or unload passengers, children should not count on them to do so.
• If your child has dropped something under or even nearby the bus, the driver should be informed before they try to pick it up. If the driver is not informed they may not realize where your child is and may begin to move the bus.(Yet another very important rule for school bus safety!)
• It is important that children behave appropriately while riding the bus as well. When getting on the bus, they should find a seat quickly and sit down. Loud noises and moving around can be distracting to the driver. Children should never put heads, arms, or hands out of the window. Aisles should be kept clear at all time to ensure a hazardless route to emergency exits. Children should wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before getting up from their seats to exit the bus.

Bus safety is extremely important and it is our responsibility as parents to impress its significance upon our children in order to keep them safe.

If they follow these school bus safety rules the odds of ending up as a statistic in a school bus injury incident will be greatly reduced.

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