Help make this a safe school year

Buses are designed to be safe — they’re bright yellow and full of safety features such as flashing red lights, cross-view mirrors and stop-sign arms. Their seat backs are padded to protect students in a crash, they distribute force differently than a standard vehicle, and they have rollover protection features. In fact, less than 1% of traffic fatalities involve children on school transports. Students and pedestrians are at greater risk outside the bus.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration documented 1,009 fatal school transportation-related crashes from 2011-2020. Pedestrians were 1.6 times more likely to be killed than riders, and just over half of the school-age pedestrians killed were aged 5-10.

Since Oct. 16-21 is National Bus Safety Week, here are tips from the NHTSA to make sure everyone gets to school and back without a hitch.

For maximum student safety, kids are encouraged to wait well away from the curb — anywhere from 6-10 feet — and avoid running and playing at the bus stop.

No one should walk behind a school bus. Instead, walk at least 10 feet up the sidewalk or along the side of the street, and cross in front of the bus. Make eye contact with the bus driver before crossing to make sure the driver can see you. Students should also tell the bus driver if they’ve dropped something near or under the bus instead of trying to retrieve it themselves.

Mind your step — wait until the bus is completely stopped and the driver gives the okay before boarding.

Motorists should be aware that children arriving late for the bus may run across the street without checking traffic, so school zones and bus stops require extra caution.

Remember, drivers: flashing yellow lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop, so drivers should too. Flashing red lights and extended stop arms indicate children are getting on or off. Obviously, it’s illegal to pass a stopped school bus, but this doesn’t stop people from trying. Modern buses are increasingly equipped with stop arm cameras to photograph offenders. Don’t drive until the flashing lights are off, the arm is retracted and the bus is moving again.

A 2019 NHTSA report on school transportation-involved accidents ended with the words “From tragedy we draw knowledge to improve the safety of us all.” Hopefully, as safety measures on board buses continue evolving and awareness grows among drivers, tragedy won’t be required for improvement. We sincerely wishes drivers and students a safe school year.