With school just around the corner, it is time to review with your children some safety tips for school. We as motorists must also refresh ourselves on the laws regarding school busses and school zones. Please drive safely in any area with a nearby school as many children walk several blocks to get to school.
Riding the Bus
School bus transportation is safe. In fact, buses are safer than cars! Even so,
last year, approximately 26 students were killed and another 9,000 were injured
in incidents involving school buses. More often than not, these deaths and
injuries didn't occur in a crash, but as the pupils were entering and exiting
the bus. Remember these safety tips:
Have a safe place to wait for your bus, away from traffic and the street.
Stay away from the bus until it comes to a complete stop and the driver signals you to enter.
When being dropped off, exit the bus and walk ten giant steps away from the bus. Keep a safe distance between you and the bus. Also, remember that the bus driver can see you best when you are back away from the bus.
There is a 10- foot area around the bus known as the Danger Zone.
The bus driver is not able to see anything in this area.
The Danger Zone is right in front of the bus and the area all around the rear wheels and the back of the bus.
Use the handrail to enter and exit the bus.
Stay away from the bus until the driver gives his/her signal that it's okay to approach.
Be aware of the street traffic around you. Drivers are required to follow certain rules of the road concerning school buses, however, not all do. Protect yourself and watch out!
Walking and Biking to School
Even if you don't ride in a motor vehicle, you still have to protect yourself. Because of minimal supervision, young pedestrians face a wide variety of decision making situations and dangers while walking to and from school. Here are a few basic safety tips to follow:
Mind all traffic signals and/or the crossing guard -- never cross the street against a light, even if you don't see any traffic coming.
Walk your bike through intersections.
Walk with a buddy.
Wear reflective material, it makes you more visible to street traffic.
-National Traffic Safety Administration
Motorist Safety
Motorists also have a responsibility to know the meaning of the flashing light system on school buses. The yellow and red lights are designed to help ensure the safety of both motorists and children.
Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop.
Red flashing lights and the extended stop arm on a school bus indicate the bus has stopped for children to get on or off the bus. Motorists approaching from either direction are required to stop at least 10 feet from a stopped school bus until the bus resumes motion. If a school bus is stopped on a road divided into four or more lanes, only traffic driving in the same direction as the bus must stop.
Parents have an additional responsibility to school bus safety. Children should be taught about school bus safety before they step into a school bus for the first time, and this responsibility lies with the parent. It is important for children to learn how to stay safe both in and outside the school bus. Statistics show students are actually at a greater risk standing outside a bus than riding in a bus.
Students should arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to pick them up. While waiting for the bus, they should stand at least three giant steps away from the curb, and line up away from the street. Before stepping into the bus, children should wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver gives permission.
Parents should encourage their children to sit quietly in their seat and
follow the driver’s instructions on school bus safety. When exiting the bus,
care should be taken to ensure that clothing with drawstrings and book bags with
straps do not get caught in the handrails or doors. Additionally, students
should never go back for anything left on the bus, and never bend down near or
under the bus to pick up something that has fallen.
Passengers should always walk in front of the bus when they must cross a street
to get on or off the bus. Children should walk far enough in front of the bus --
about 10 feet ahead of it -- to enable them to see the bus driver. Children
should never walk behind a school bus, and should stay at least three feet away
from the side of a bus.
Colonel Paul McClellan
Superintendent
Ohio State Highway Patrol