Tag Archives: school bus safety

General Safety Issues

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE LETTING YOUR CHILD RIDE THE SCHOOL BUS ALONE (GUEST POST)

 The first day of school is a momentous occasion for both parents and their children, but so is the first time that your child rides the school bus alone. For some parents, necessity forces them to put their kids on the bus, as their own professional schedules won’t allow for drop-offs and pick-ups. In other cases, belief that riding the bus builds character or exposes kids to manageable difficulty to give them strength is the motivating factor behind using the school bus as primary transportation. Whatever your reasons, there are a few things you should know before your little one climbs those steps for the first time.

Basic School Bus Safety

In order to teach your child the basic rules of school bus safety, you’ll need to know them yourself. Your child should never run to or from the bus, even if he’s late. He should always stand back from the curb and wait for the bus driver’s signal before crossing the street, and should be at least ten feet in front of the bus for peak driver visibility. While he’s on the bus, your child should never shout, get out of his seat or roughhouse with other kids. If you’re not there to put him on the bus and escort him back at the end of the day, your child will need to know these things in order to handle himself safely.

Expected Times of Arrival

Even if you’re not going to be there to greet the bus at the end of the day or put your little one on it, you should still know the expected time of arrival each way. Arranging a system of notification, especially at the end of the day, will let you know that your older child has reached his stop safely. If you don’t know what time the bus arrives at the stop, you won’t know what time to expect that message.

Adults on the Bus

Some school districts or individual buses have an adult aide, in addition to the bus driver, who works as a monitor, while others rely solely on the attention of the driver. If your child’s bus will not have a monitor, you’ll need to understand that he may be exposed to bullying or other behavior that goes unpunished, as the driver’s attention is focused on the road, rather than the conduct of her young riders.

Rules of Conduct

While there are some basic rules of common sense conduct that hold true on every bus, there may be more specific ones on a particular bus or within your school district that you’re not aware of. You can’t pass those rules along and explain them to your child if you don’t know what they are, so make a point of procuring a copy of the conduct rules from your child’s teacher or school administrators before his first solo ride.

How Behavioral Problems are Handled

Kids on the school bus may not be monitored as heavily as they are in class, which can lead to behavioral problems you’d never consider under other circumstances. Whether your child is the victim or the perpetrator of these infractions, they’re so likely to happen that you’ll need to have a basic grasp of how your school district and bus driver will handle potential behavioral problems.

Age Span of Student Riders

In some districts, it’s feasible to keep younger children separated from the older, more rambunctious bus riders. Smaller areas may not have enough students to warrant more than one bus on a single route, however, and may lump kids of all ages together. This can make for some particularly scary moments for very young children, who can be the target of older bullies. Find out what the average age span is of the riders on your child’s bus, so that you can be prepared for any problems or can make alternate arrangements if you feel uncomfortable with the idea of him being surrounded by junior high students.

Your Child’s Ability to Handle Riding the Bus Alone

Some kids are more mature than others of their age, while some fall a bit behind on the scale of emotional maturity. Before you put your child on the school bus to essentially fend for himself, you need to know where he falls on that scale and how capable he is of handling the potential stressors of riding a school bus. In the end, you’re the only person who will know exactly how prepared your child is, and how well he’s likely to deal with the situation.

Our thanks to Hannah Anderson, of fulltimenanny.com, for this valuable information.

General Safety Issues

NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK

My apologies for waiting until the end of National School Bus Safety Week to get this article published!  But the safety of our children that ride school buses is an important matter throughout each school year.  The theme of this year’s observance is “Be Aware – Know the Danger Zone!”  Did you know that an area 10 feet around the bus is a distance that students, bus drivers, and other motorists should be aware of?  The annual campaign aims to educate the public on school bus safety issues.  According to House Resolution 498, from July 18, 2006, here are excerpts from the latest version of the bill that is currently available on Gov.Track: 

“There are approximately 480,000 yellow school buses that carry 25 million children to and from school every weekday; Whereas America’s 480,000 school buses comprise the largest mass transportation fleet in the country – 2.5 times the size of all other forms of mass transportation (transit, intercity buses, commercial airlines, and rail, combined -; Whereas during the school year, these buses make more than 50 million passenger trips daily carrying the Nation’s future – our children.

Whereas school bus transportation is eight times safer than traveling in a passenger vehicle; and is the safest form of ground transportation available.  School buses meet higher construction, equipment and inspection standards than any other vehicle, and school bus drivers meet higher qualification, training, and testing standards than any other drivers.

According to the National Academy of Sciences, an average of 820 students are killed annually during school transportation hours, but less than 2 per cent of them are school bus passengers.  Despite the industry’s best efforts, accidents still happen; An average of seven school-age passengers are killed annually in school bus crashes, and an average of 19 children are killed each year getting on and off the bus.  Most of those killed are children aged five to seven, and most often they are killed in the area immediately surrounding the bus. (The Danger Zone.)

School Bus Safety Week is celebrated in more than 40 states and sponsored by the NHTSA, created to remind all students of the best ways to get on and off the bus.  This SBSW dates back to 1966, and also recognizes the hard work and dedication of school transportation personnel, especially the many drivers who ensure a safe journey each and every day.” 

It is against the law to pass a stopped school bus, loading or unloading students.  The bus has flashing red lights, and an arm that swings out to warn motorists to stop at a safe distance behind the bus, allowing the children to cross the road if necessary.  Drivers must be courteous and let the bus driver to do their job safely.  They are the first person that the children see who represents their school district every morning.  They are the last person the students see as they leave to go home.  With the large number of students who ride school buses every day, they should know that they will get to and from school safety. 

In many states, when a vehicle illegally passes a stopped school bus with red lights activated, troopers who are following (or may be riding on the bus) will radio ahead to other troopers who will pull over the offending motorist and issue a ticket that could cost up to $1,000. (Texas) 

Remember that this is about keeping children safe; you should always stop for a school bus regardless of your chances of getting caught.  It is certainly not worth the risk to save a few minutes of your time.

 

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General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK

Did you know that there are approximately 474,000 school buses transporting some 25 million children to and from school every day in this country?  National School Bus Safety Week, began October 18th and goes through October 22nd.    This observance is sponsored by: National Association for Pupil Transportation, National School Transportation Association, National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation, National Safety Council, and School Bus Manufacturers and Suppliers. Their goal is to educate students and the public about school bus safety.  Students may enter a national poster contest, with the winning poster being distributed throughout the United States. 

School buses are among the safest transportation we have, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, who also reports that those riding buses are 8 times safer than ones riding with parents or peers.  Statistics show that around six children die per year as passengers on school buses; however, fatalities have more often occurred from pedestrian accidents involving motorists who illegally pass school buses, failing to see children.  When a school bus is stopped, flashing lights on the bus warn drivers to stop, in order to allow children to safely board and get off the bus.  Motorists should be vigilant when sharing the road with the big yellow buses. 

School bus drivers have to have nerves of steel!  (I’m talking from my experiences, such as band trips, etc.)  Kids can get rowdy on school buses, and drivers should have rules (short and simple), that their young passengers follow.   It is helpful when bus drivers get to know their kids and are a positive role model.  Parents should expect their students to show respect to their driver, who plays this very important role in getting them safely to school and back home. 

Here are some safety reminders for parents and students from The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration: 

  • Parents should be sure that their children get to the bus stop on time.
  • Students should stand back several feet from the edge of the road until the bus comes to a complete stop.
  • If a student drops an object near the bus, he/she should ask the driver for help.  The driver may not be able to see when a child bends over to pick something up.  The best solution is to have all their things secure in a backpack or bag.
  • Be sure clothing or backpacks have no loose drawstrings that could get caught in the bus door.
  • Understand that the danger zone is the area 10′ around the school bus.
  • Ask school officials or transportation authorities to change the location of a bus stop if it is not in a safe place.
  • Students should cross the street in view of the driver: “Cross in View – It’s the Thing to Do.” 

Those big yellow buses not only transport our kids to school every day, but also take them on field trips, to sports events, and many other extracurricular activities.  Their passengers are our future; we must obey the laws that protect the lives of our children and their caregivers – the drivers.