Start the School Year Off Safely with These Bus Rider Tips

By Carol Church, Writer, Family Album
Reviewed by Gayle Whitworth, Family and Consumer Sciences Extension Agent, University of Florida Extension, Brevard County

If you have school-aged children, there’s a good chance you’ve got a pretty long to-do list right now. My own includes buying both of my children new school clothes, figuring out school-year sports and after-school activities, and oh, yes, getting the both of them haircuts!

But the beginning of the school year is also a good time to review school expectations, rules, and safety guidelines, especially if you have a new kindergartener or if your child is changing to a new school or starting a new routine. For instance, have you taken a minute to talk about how to be a safe school bus rider with your student? Especially if your child is just starting to ride the bus, this is time well spent.

Focus on Getting Off and On

Did you know that the most dangerous part of riding the bus is actually getting on and off of it? It’s true. When waiting to get on the bus, kids should stay 3 “giant steps” back from the curb and wait till the driver signals them to get on board. Parents, look out for and secure or shorten long, trailing backpack straps or other long cords or laces—these can get caught in doors or handrails and be very dangerous. Of course, once on the bus, kids should stay in their seats facing forward, keep their hands, arms, and head inside the bus, and always listen to the bus driver.

What about when getting off the bus? Children may be at risk when they cross too close in front of or behind the bus, because it’s difficult for the driver to see them. If a child needs to cross the street after getting off the bus, teach him or her to take “5 giant steps” forward along the sidewalk, then wait for the driver to indicate that it is okay. Next, the child should look left, right, then left again before crossing. Don’t ever cross behind a bus. And if a child drops something near a bus, he or she should tell the bus driver and then go get it. You don’t want a child darting into the driver’s blind spot.

Buses: The Safest Way to Travel

With all this in mind, parents should know that school buses have an extremely good safety record and are considered by far the safest way to get your child to school. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, students are 20 times safer taking the bus than being driven by a parent, and 50 times safer taking the bus than (as teens) driving themselves or being driven by a friend. School bus transportation also reduces traffic congestion and saves fuel.

What about Seatbelts?

Parents sometimes wonder about the lack of seat belts on buses in most states (though FL requires them). Research indicates that due to the high, padded backs and close spacing of school bus seating, as well as the large size of the bus, children are well protected in a collision even without belts. And if belts were mandated, students would be displaced due to reduced seating numbers, which would increase traffic injuries in the end.

Taking just a few moments to review bus safety with your children will help ensure that they have great, safe trips back and forth from school—and it will probably endear them to the bus driver, too! Have a great school year.

(Photo credit: the schoolbus routine by woodley wonderworks. CC BY 2.0. Cropped.)

Further Reading:

School Bus Safety Tips

Kids, The School Bus and You

References:

American School Bus Council. (n.d.) Safety First. Retrieved from http://www.schoolbusfacts.com/

Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles. (n.d.) School bus safety tips. Retrieved from http://www.flhsmv.gov/bussafety/SafetyTips.pdf

NHTSA. (n.d.) Kids, the school bus and you. Retrieved from http://www.nhtsa.gov/people/injury/buses/kidsschoolbus_en.html

WebMD. (2014). Child safety: School bus still best. Retrieved from http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/child-safety-school-bus-still-best

 

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Posted: August 21, 2014


Category: Relationships & Family, Work & Life
Tags: Health And Wellness, Parenting


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