Did You Know That Each Year More Than 800 Students are Killed Going to and From School? With this information in mind, how do you want your kids to get to and from school?
The nationwide safety record* for the 25 million children who do not ride school buses to and from school each day: 448 fatalities in passenger vehicles with a teenage driver 169 fatalities in passenger vehicles with an adult driver 131 fatalities to pedestrians 46 fatalities to bicyclists	The nationwide safety record* for the 25 million children who ride school buses to and from school each day: 5 passenger fatalities 15 pedestrian fatalities at school bus stops
Source: National Research Council, National Academy of Sciences

 

The Danger Zone is the area on all sides of the bus where children are in the most danger of being hit. Children should stay ten feet away from the bus (or as far away as they can) and never go behind it. They should take five giant steps in front of the bus before crossing, so they can be seen by the driver.

For twenty three million students nationwide, the school day begins and ends with a trip on a school bus. The greatest risk is not when riding in the bus, but approaching or leaving the bus. School buses are nearly 8 times safer than passenger vehicles. While an average of 7 school-age passengers are killed in school bus crashes each year, 19 are killed getting on and off the bus. Most of those killed are children, five to seven years old. They are hit in the Danger Zone around the bus (A), either by a passing vehicle or by the school bus itself. It is illegal for a vehicle to pass a bus with its red light flashing.

Young children are most likely to be hit because they:

• hurry to get on or off the bus,
• act before they think and have little experience with traffic,
• assume motorists will see them and will wait for them to cross,
• don't always stay within the bus driver's sight, or
• drop something as they get off the bus and run into the path of the bus to pick it up.

Drivers

When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school. When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch out for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking about getting there safely. Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood. Slow down. Watch for children playing and congregating near bus stops. Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic. Learn and obey the "alternately flashing warning light" system that school bus drivers use to alert motorists: Yellow flashing lights indicate that the bus is preparing to load or unload children. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles. Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate that the bus has stopped, and that children are getting on or off. Motorists approaching from either direction must wait until the red lights stop flashing before proceeding.

Children

Get to the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. When the bus approaches, stand at least three giant steps (6 feet) away from the curb, and line up away from the street. Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says that it's okay before stepping onto the bus. If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along the side of the road to a point at least five giant steps (10 feet) ahead of the bus before you cross. Be sure that the bus driver can see you, and you can see the bus driver. Use the handrails to avoid falls. When exiting the bus, be careful that clothing with drawstrings, and book bags with straps don't get caught in the handrails or doors. Never walk behind the bus. Walk at least three giant steps away from the side of the bus. If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up because the driver may not be able to see you.

Parents

• When getting on the bus, stay away from the danger zone and wait for the driver's signal. Board the bus one at a time.
• When getting off the bus, look before stepping off the bus to be sure no cars are passing on the shoulder (side of the road). Move away from the bus.
• Before crossing the street, take five "giant steps" out from the front of the bus, or until the driver's face can be seen (A). Wait for the driver to signal that it's safe to cross.
• Look left-right-left when coming to the edge of the bus to make sure traffic is stopped. Keep watching traffic when crossing.

• Supervise children to make sure they get to the stop on time, wait far away from the road, and avoid rough play.
• Teach your child to ask the driver for help if he/she drops something near the bus. If a child bends down to pick up something, the driver cannot see him/her and the child may be hit by the bus. Have your child use a backpack or book bag to keep loose items together.
• Make sure clothing and backpacks have no loose drawstrings or long straps, to get caught in the handrail or bus door.
• Encourage safe school bus loading and unloading.
• If you think a bus stop is in a dangerous place, talk with your school office or transportation director about changing the location.

• Vehicles must stop when the bus displays flashing red warning lights and extends the stop signal arm. Vehicles may not pass until the flashing red lights and signals are turned off.
• Vehicles traveling in the same direction as the bus are always required to stop. In some states, vehicles moving in the opposite direction on a divided roadway are also required to stop. Check the law in your state.
• Never pass on the right side of the bus, where children enter or exit. This is illegal and can have tragic results.