Each school year we seem to hear in the news terrible stories about crashes involving school buses. Luckily, however, those reports come few and far between.
      In fact, yellow school buses are a great American success story, as they carry a safety record unequaled in the transportation industry. Consider these comparisons per 100,000 passenger miles: passenger cars, 0.94 deaths; scheduled airlines, 0.06; passenger trains, 0.4 deaths; school buses, 0.01 deaths.
      It’s comforting to know school buses are the safest way to get children to and from school. Especially, since approximately 24 million children ride an estimated 440,000 public school buses more than 4 billion miles every day. That’s 10 billion student trips every year!
     The overwhelming majority of bus-related injuries and deaths occur while children are getting on and off the bus. Following a few safety tips can prevent almost all of these injuries and deaths. So whether you ride the bus, have children that ride the bus, have children who walk to school, or even if you don’t have any children, you can help reduce the number of bus-related injuries and deaths.
Motorists:
§ Be aware of buses and children on the road especially in the mornings and afternoons.
§ Observe all traffic laws, especially the speed limit.
§ Pay attention to flashing lights on school buses. Yellow flashing lights mean the bus is planning to stop. You should slow down and prepare to stop. Red flashing lights and an extended "arm" mean the bus is stopped and loading or unloading passengers. You MUST stop until the bus driver retracts the arm, turns the flashing lights off and begins to move. It is illegal and extremely dangerous to pass a bus with flashing lights.
§ Look for children when backing out of driveways or pulling out of garages.
§ Watch for signs marking school zones. Slow down and be aware of children in the area.
Students:
§ Get to the bus stop early.
§ Always stay five giant steps back from the street when waiting for the bus.
§ Whenever possible, walk on the sidewalk and wait on the sidewalk.
§ Wait until the bus stops, the door opens and the driver says it’s okay to board.
§ Avoid the "danger zone." The danger zone is the area 10 feet all around the bus. This is the area where most injuries and deaths occur. This is the area where the bus driver is often unable to see you.
§ Use the handrails when entering and exiting the bus.
§ When boarded, always sit fully on your seat and face forward.
Parents:
§ Supervise children at the bus stop.
§ Participate in school bus safety programs with your children.
§ Review and practice bus safety rules with your children.
§ When driving, be a roll model. Follow all traffic laws and pay particular attention for children on their way to or from the bus stop.
     The start of a new school year holds mu ch promise. Let’s all work together to make it a fun and safe year for all our children!

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