The Big yellow buses are here for the start of the new school year
Friday, August 11, 2017
SCHOOL BUS SAFETY
Tips for Motorists:
- Slow down.
- Be especially careful when driving on neighborhood streets and around school zones, always expect the unexpected.
- Be alert for youngsters walking to and from school as you back out of your driveway or leave your parking garage.
- We want school children to be safe. Watch for them on bicycles, especially at intersections and driveways. Young bicyclists have a tendency to dart out of driveways without looking for traffic.
- Stop your car when you see lights flashing on a school bus. Red flashing lights indicate that the bus is stopped and students are getting on or off. Don’t start driving until the red lights stop flashing.
- Be aware that a child may dash across the street.
Tips for Parents:
Does your child ride a bicycle to school? Remember: State law requires anyone under the age of sixteen to wear a helmet while riding a bicycle. It’s not just the law–it’s a good idea for everyone.
- Stay away from danger zones around the bus. The blind spots where drivers cannot see.
- Always be sure you can see the driver, that means the driver can see you.
- When getting on or off the bus be very careful.
- Watch out for cars.
- Remind children to look to the right before they step off the bus. Drivers in a hurry sometimes try to sneak by buses on the right.
- Help your children get ready for school:
- Have your children put everything they carry in a backpack or school bag so that they won’t drop things along the way.
- Have them wear bright, contrasting colors so that they will be more easily seen by drivers. Better still, attach a piece of high visibility fluorescent and reflective material to their clothing or backpack.
- Make sure they leave home on time so that they can walk to the bus stop and arrive before the bus is due. Running can be dangerous.
- Teach your children to secure loose drawstrings and other objects that may get caught in the handrail or door of the school bus as they are exiting.
- Warn children that if they drop something near the bus they should never ever pick it up. Instead, they should tell the bus driver and follow the driver’s directions. If they bend over to pick up a dropped object, they might not be seen by the driver and could be hurt if the bus pulls away from the stop.
- Go to the bus stop with a young child and have older children walk in groups. There’s safety in numbers because groups are easier for drivers to see.
Here are some facts that may be of interest to you
- 450,000 yellow school buses provide transportation service daily nationwide.
- 23.5 million Elementary and secondary school children ride school buses daily throughout the United States, twice a day.
- That’s about 47,000,000 student trips daily — before adding an estimated 5,000,000 more for activity trips daily
- That means approximately 54% of all K-12 students in the country ride yellow school buses
- This equals about about 10 billion individual student rides, or 20 billion boardings and deboardings, annually.
- America spends an average of $493 per child for transportation annually.
- America spends an average of $2,460 per special needs child for transportation annually.
- o350 pupil transportation delegates are appointed by the chief school officer in each state and meet for a week-long conference once every five years to review and rewrite minimum standards and specifications for safe operation.
Remember AIM FOR SAFETY!!!!!