The Importance of Teaching School Bus Safety to Our Children

Children as early on as preschool-aged could be receiving some sort of training or explanation about the safety measures that should be taken while riding the school bus. Not only as a precaution for the children that will be soon riding the bus once they enter elementary school, but as a way to get all of the kids familiar with the idea of riding the school bus and to teach them early on exactly how they should behave and act once they are on the bus with others.

Obviously the safety of our children is the most important thing to any of us. Which is why it may relieve you to know that buses are the safest mode of transportation for school children, statistically safer than walking or getting a ride in the family car. The addition of lap belts which they did not have in the past has significantly decreased the amount of injuries that occur whenever there is an accident involving a school bus and that is on top of the fact that a school bus in general is specifically designed for safety.

School buses are large, painted yellow and have bigger than normal mirrors and even bright flashing lights. Also it must be noted that the more school buses that are out on the roads driving different children to school the less additional other cars will be on the road in general, especially at a time of day that all of the kids and their parents are headed to the same destination. Putting your children in the hands of a bus driver may cause some panic in some parents but when you take all of the above into account it is hard to dispute the safety involved in children taking the bus to school. Remember, there are 25 million children that take the school bus to school each and every day.

This does not mean, however, that the children riding the bus do not also have a responsibility to create a safe atmosphere. In fact, the truth is far from it. What it means is that there are steps that children (even young ones) can take to ensure that everyone is afforded a safe bus ride. It makes perfectly good sense to start the training in preschool before they are even technically riding the bus on their own.

Besides wearing your seatbelt on the bus, which is something every child should be doing regardless of the vehicle they are in, here are some additional tips to help your children have a safe school bus ride:

Before Getting On the Bus

1. Wait in a safe place. While you are waiting for the bus to arrive, parents need to be mindful of teaching their kids to safely stand away from the curb and of course, any traffic.
2. Be on time. In fact, your best bet would be to arrive at least five minutes earlier than your scheduled bus departure. This will help to eliminate any rushing around that may cause injury.
3. Avoid horseplay. Now is not the time to be playing around with your friends. There should be no playing, running, pushing or shoving, especially by the street where there will be a plethora of oncoming traffic.
4. Wait for the bus driver's signal. Do not approach or try to get on the vehicle until the school bus has come to a complete stop and the driver informs you that it is now okay to board the bus.
5. Utilize handrails. Handrails are your friend. The ones you see while entering the school bus are there for you to use. Make sure to use them as you walk up the steps (making sure your backpack or any loose clothing does not snag anything along the way) to avoid the chances that you may fall.
6. Never walk behind the bus. If you must walk in front of the bus for any reason, make sure you do it at a safe distance and confirm that the bus driver is aware of your presence before doing so. Not doing this could ultimately lead to catastrophic injury.

After Boarding the Bus

1. Always stay in your seat. Do not move around once you are seated in the bus. There is no reason to walk around and try to talk to your friends. A good tip to keep in mind is that you would not get up and do so while traveling in a regular car, so there's no reason to do so on a school bus. This includes keeping your arms, head and even your legs out of any open windows, sitting safely in your seat does not include any of the previous actions just mentioned.
2. Wear your seatbelt at all times. It cannot be stressed enough the amount of serious injuries that have been avoided because children were wearing their seatbelt on a school bus. Get in the habit early of always wearing your seatbelt because the alternative may lead to a consequence that could have easily been avoided. Keep aisles clear - Do not put your book bag or any other extra items you may be carrying in the aisle of the bus. Keep it on your lap or if it all possible put them on an empty seat if no one is using it.
3. No yelling. Do not scream or make any loud noises that could possibly distract the bus driver. Anything you do that could potentially make the driver take his mind off of the road can only have a negative effect and should be avoided at all costs.
4. Be prepared for your stop. Do not unbuckle your seatbelt and/or get up from your seat until the school bus has come to a complete stop. One thing you can do to prepare to get off of the bus more quickly is to gather all of your items and have everything ready to go as soon as the bus is stopped and you get the go ahead that it is okay to leave.

One last important item to be aware of when discussing the safety of our children taking the school bus is the idea of bullying.The school bus driver’s main focus is to safely transport all of the children to and from their destination. It is not totally possible for the bus driver to keep tabs of every action that takes place with the children that are seated behind them. This is especially true when it is not loud enough for him to hear and there are no actions that they witness that they find out of the ordinary from their perspective. It is important for parents to listen to their children describe their experience and to notice if there are any irregularities that may indicate they are being bullied by other children.

Whether it’s being bullied or getting involved in a school bus accident it is every parent’s wish that their child is safe on the bus. Hopefully by using these steps you can be certain that you are doing what you can to make sure that is the case.