Every school day buses carry some 24 million students to and from school and collectively travel more than 4 billion miles. Considering how many kids the buses carry and the distance they cover, deaths on the road are extremely rare. School buses have a rate of 0.2 deaths per 100 million miles traveled. The rate of deaths in automobiles is eight times higher.
Taking a bus to school is the safest way to go, statistics show. But accidents sometimes happen, and our children face other hazards on a bus besides the risk of being hurt in a crash. When it comes to getting kids safely to and from school, there’s always room for improvement.
The major risk for children is the travel to and from the bus stop. Kids need to be very careful and cautious when approaching the school bus
. The bus danger zone is 10 – 15 feet in front, behind and on the sides of the school bus.
Children Safety Tips:
- Wait until the driver says it is safe to board, and then get on one at a time.
- Take 5 giant steps out in front of the bus before you cross the street. Be sure the driver sees you and signals that it’s OK to cross in front of the bus. Look left-right-left again for traffic and when it is clear, cross the street.
- Ask the driver for help if you drop something while getting on or off the school bus.
- Once on the bus go directly to you seat and sit down.
- Be respectful of the school bus driver and always obey his or her instructions.
Parent Safety Tips
- When possible walk your children to the bus stop and wait with them until the bus arrives.
- When driving in school zones watch out for children who may be distracted and not thinking about safety.
- Slow down near bus stops where children will be playing and congregating.
Reviewing these safety tips is a great way to make sure the trip to and from school is safe each and every day!