By Cara Beth Lewis
For the last article of our Back to School series, let’s talk safety. Specifically, school bus safety. School buses carry some precious cargo — as a driver, student, and parent, knowledge is necessary when it comes to bus safety.
Parents, rest easy knowing that, according to NCDOT and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are one of the safest modes of transportation for children to and from school. School buses account for less than one percent of traffic accidents nationwide.
“However,” NCDOT shared, “in 2020 there were 398 crashes involving school buses, resulting in 234 injuries and two deaths in North Carolina. To help bring these numbers down, everyone needs to stay alert and understand school bus stop laws.”
As a driver sharing the road with school buses, it’s important to know and understand the rules and stops for school buses. Check out some valuable information from NCDOT below:
• Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. Drivers should slow down and prepare to stop their vehicles.
• Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate the bus has stopped and children are getting on or off. Drivers must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop-arm is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.
• Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
Students, no matter their age, should also understand how to keep themselves safe in and around school buses. Review the following “don’ts” with your child or students.
• DON’T walk behind a school bus.
• DON’T run or play in or around a school bus.
• DON’T run towards the bus.
• DON’T push or play when entering the bus.
• DON’T touch the bus’s emergency doors/windows.
Additional links:
If your child is riding the bus for the first time this year, it is especially important to have a conversation with them about school bus safety. There are some dangers that you know children will not recognize without warning.
Interesting Fact: (from nhtsa.gov)
Students are approximately 70 times more likely to arrive to school safely when traveling by bus.
• Different by Design: School buses are designed so that they’re highly visible and include safety features such as flashing red lights, cross-view mirrors and stop-sign arms. They also include protective seating, high crush standards and rollover protection features.
• Protected by the Law: Laws protect students who are getting off and on a school bus by making it illegal for drivers to pass a school bus while dropping off or picking up passengers, regardless of the direction of approach.
Schools commonly provide school bus safety training to students. Check with your child’s school to find out the extent of bus safety education being provided.
Have a great, safe year!
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