National School Bus Safety Week

Posted in blog,Safety Tips on October 8, 2021

National School Bus Safety Week is October 18th – 22nd

Each year, the third week of October is recognized as National School Bus Safety Week, a public education program designed to address the importance of school bus safety. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are the safest mode of transportation for kids. Children are eight times safer on their school bus than they are in any other vehicle, even your car. Here are a few tips to ensure the safety of children while loading and unloading from the school bus.

• Stop at least 20 feet from the bus, whether you’re behind it or approaching it from the opposite direction.
• This is true for two-lane roads and two-lane roads with a turning lane in the middle.
• On four-lane roads, always stop when you’re behind the bus. If you’re approaching from the opposite direction, stop unless there’s a median or concrete barrier in the middle.
• Slow down in neighborhoods and school zones, especially in the morning and mid-afternoon.
• Always pay careful attention to your surroundings – that means putting distractions away.

Remember that it’s the bus driver, not you, who determines whether it’s safe to drive again. So even if you see that the child is safely on the sidewalk, stay put until the bus driver puts the stop arm back in.

By observing National School Bus Safety Week all year long, we can work together to make sure that children are just as safe off the school bus as they are on it.