Back to School Safety: Transportation

As schools throughout the area commence classes for the new school year, we will be reviewing several different aspects of back to school safety. Today, we will be examining transportation safety.

Children get to school in many different ways, including bus, car, and walking. Here are some tips to ensure safer travel to and from school for your children:

Walking to school:

· Walk to school with a group of people and have a responsible adult with you

· Always look left-right-left before crossing the street to ensure that the way is clear to cross

· If you are 10 years old or younger, you should always have help from an adult to cross the street

· Don’t run. Running makes you more likely to fall into a street and doesn’t give time for drivers to see you before you enter a roadway

· Always cross the street at a cross walk.

Riding a bus to school:

Several areas should be considered when discussing school bus safety. These include, getting on the bus, behavior on the bus and getting off of the bus.

1. Getting on the bus

· When waiting for the bus and when the bus arrives, stand at least 6 feet away from the curb to allow for ample space

· Be sure that you can see the bus driver and the bus driver can see you

· Never walk behind the bus

· If you have to cross the street to get on the bus, walk on the sidewalk or along side of the road until you are 10 feet in front of the bus (five giant steps). Then you can cross the street

2. Behavior on the bus

· Never put any body parts out the window

· When you get on the bus, find a seat and sit down

· Keep aisles free from backpacks or bags; these can be tripping hazards and can block the way in an emergency.

· At your stop, wait for the bus to completely stop before getting up from your seat.

3. Getting off the bus

· When you get off, make sure the bus driver can see you

· If you have to cross the street, walk at least 10 feet in front of the bus

· Wait for a signal from the driver before you start to cross the street

· Stay away from the wheels of the bus at all times

Be safe as you start back to school this year! Safety is the beginning to ensuring a productive and fun school year.