School Bus Safety

School bus transportation incidents killed an estimated 169 persons nationwide in the 1995-1996 school year, including 43 students. Injuries reported that year totaled about 19,000, of which 13,000 were students. Most instances in both cases occurred while the students were pedestrians.

There are a few rules that you can teach your children to help them get on and off the school bus safely.

• Stay away from traffic, and avoid disruptive, careless behavior when waiting for the school bus. Do not stray away from the bus stop into alleys, onto streets, or onto private property.
• Wait until the school bus has stopped and the door opens before stepping onto the roadway.
• Use the handrail when going up the bus steps.
• Find a seat and sit down as soon as you can. Loitering can cause distractions to the bus driver.
• Never put your head, arms, hands, or other items out of the windows.
• Keep the aisles clear, in case of an emergency.
• Wait for the bus to stop before getting up from your seat.
• If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, make sure that the driver can see you.
• Stop at the curb or edge of the road. Look left, then right, then left again before crossing.
• Keep an eye out for sudden traffic changes.
• Stay away from the bus' rear wheels at all times.
• Continue looking in both directions until safely across.