School buses have been repeatedly shown to be the safest mode of transportation for getting children to and from school, but no vehicle has a perfect record. There will always be the risk of school bus crashes, but the most common time injuries occur is when students are not following the proper safety rules for loading and unloading a bus.
An average of 18 children die in school transportation-related crashes each year. In total, there were 129 fatalities in school bus-related crashes in 2010 alone. Of those fatalities, 16 were occupants of the school bus, six were drivers, and 10 were passengers.
You won’t find a safer vehicle for young students, but the safety of a school bus relies on responsibilities on both sides of the windshield. Drivers must follow the rules of the road and properly operate the bus, while parents have to teach their children the rules for safely getting on and off the bus. These simple tips should be enough to keep your children safe.
- Accompany your child to the bus stop and wait with them until it arrives. Ensure that they stand three large steps away from the curb.
- Teach kids to wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before beginning to unload and never, ever walk behind the bus.
- Tell your child to take 5 large steps in front of the bus if they need to cross the street after getting off the bus. They should also make eye contact with the driver and wait for an indication that it is safe to cross.
- Teach your children to use handrails when boarding or unloading from the bus.
- Teach your children to look left, then right, then left again before beginning to cross the street in front of the bus.
