Although we’re nearing the tail end of the fall school semester, there’s plenty of ways we can help raise safety awareness for our students. According to various studies, it has been stated that buses are the safest mode of transportation for school children. Some may argue that school buses are a thing of the past; however, over 25 million students still take the bus to and from school. This week is National School Bus Safety Week, and we’re celebrating by bringing you the top 5 school bus safety tips. Enjoy!
Be Aware as a Driver – Bus drivers have to carry out the very stressful task of transporting 50 or so noisy children across town to school every morning. It makes their job a lot easier if you do your part and let them have the right of way on the road. Make sure that you keep your distance from their vehicle and yield when they stop unexpectedly or merge lanes.
Rules of Waiting and Boarding – It’s important to inform your kids the proper way to behave while waiting at the bus stop. Make sure they avoid running into the street, alleyways or other people’s yards. When the bus is pulling up, they should wait until it has come to a complete stop and opened its doors before they board. They should also use the handrail and watch their steps to avoid any injuries.
Right Behavior on the Bus – Like we stated before, bus drivers have an enormous responsibility of transporting 50 kids across the neighborhood. It would help them out and make their job a lot easier if you teach your child to stay in their seat and remain subdued for the duration of the bus ride. Urge them to speak at a low level and avoid any roughhouse behavior that can ultimately be a distraction to the driver.
Properly Exiting the Bus – When the bus has come to a complete stop, tell you child to remain in their seat until the bus driver opens the door and gives the orders to exit in an orderly fashion. The bus will always drop off at a crosswalk, so they should never stray from the designated crossing path. Also, be sure your children know that they’re supposed to walk in front of a bus – never behind it.
Be Aware as a Pedestrian – Some children prefer to either walk or ride their bikes to school, and it’s in their best interest to learn the rules of the road when they come into contact with school buses. Make sure they never chase after a moving bus or loiter around one that’s stopped. If the bus is unloading at a stop, they need to obey the law and wait until the driver gives them the signal to move along.
Before we reach the end of the fall semester, now is the perfect time to make sure that you’re covered. Give us a call to make sure that your auto, home, boat and RV insurance policy is up to date, and you’ve got the best rate and coverage possible!