To increase safety for students getting on and off the bus, BCSD used National School Bus Safety Week held October 21 through 25, as a reminder to motorists and students to pay attention to important school bus safety practices.
National School Bus Safety Week is an active and evolving public education program. It is a way for parents, students and teachers to join forces with school bus operators and other motorists. The theme for this year’s National School Bus Safety Week was “My School Bus, the Safest Form of Student Transportation!”
As the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration points out, the school bus is the safest vehicle on the road. A student is 70 times more likely to get to school safely when taking a school bus instead of traveling by a car. The greatest risk, the NHTSA has found, is when a child is approaching or leaving a bus.
The multi-prong approach of National School Bus Safety Week doesn’t just focus on teaching students to be safe while on the bus, but also emphasizes the dangers drivers can create when they don’t pay attention. It is illegal for drivers to pass a school bus while dropping off or picking up passengers. Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop, motorists should also slow down and prepare to stop. Red flashing lights indicate a driver must stop and wait until the lights turn off, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins to move again.
Parents can join the ongoing effort by reminding their children of the best bus practices:
•Carry everything in a backpack so items aren’t dropped along the way
•Arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes early
•Remind children to look before they step off the bus. Watch for the driver to signal you to cross the road.
•Look left, right, then left again before crossing and always watch for sudden traffic changes.
•Make sure cell phones don’t become a distraction while entering or leaving a bus.
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