Parents can teach children school bus safety
BLACKSBURG, Va., Aug. 13, 2007 – As schools reopen, it is a good time to remember that it takes the cooperation of many people to get children there and back safely.
It is especially important for parents to teach young children—preschoolers, kindergartners, and primary students—how to wait for the school bus. Teach children to stay back from the curb or on the driveway, away from traffic, while they wait. They should learn not to approach the street until the bus comes to a complete stop, its lights are flashing, and the door opens.
Hold some practice sessions. Help them pick a spot on the sidewalk or driveway where they will be safely away from traffic but can still watch for the approaching school bus. This will help them avoid the temptation of leaning or stepping out into the street to see whether the bus is coming.
If children must cross the street or road, parents should remind them to look both ways, even when the bus is stopped and its lights are flashing. Stress to your children that it is just as important for them to stay in their seats on the school bus as it is in the car. Explain that the bus driver hasn’t made up the “sit-down-and-be-quiet” rules to be mean, but that you and the school agreed upon these rules to help keep them safe.
School-bus safety is just as important at the end of the day. Teach children how to safely exit the bus. Children should know to step away from the bus as soon as they get off.
Tell them to walk away from the bus, then stop and turn around to look at the driver. If the child can see the driver, the driver can see that the child is safely away from the bus. If parents and bus drivers cooperate to teach these items until it becomes a habit for children, drivers will know to look for something wrong if they cannot see the child watching them.
Children’s clothing and school packs can also be a part of a school-bus accident prevention strategy. Tragedies can occur when a child’s clothing is snagged on the bus and the child could be fatally dragged or crushed under the bus. Examine coats and jackets to make sure there are no strings, straps, buckles, etc. that can get caught on part of the bus. Also avoid long scarves and flapping mittens on sleeves in the winter. Carry backpacks or book bags so that the straps don’t get caught.
The opening of the school year also means more carpooling. Sometimes it is hard to say no to one more child, but the driver is responsible for every child in the vehicle. Every child must have a seat with a seat belt. It’s the law in Virginia. When you transport younger children under 40 pounds, they need to be in a child safety seat or booster restraint correctly secured by the seat belt.
With all the excitement about starting a new school year and seeing old friends, children need their parents to be persistent in reminding them of the rules that will get them safely to school and back home again.
Contact: Robert Grisso
Virginia Cooperative Extension Engineer
Virginia Tech
(540) 231-6538
rgrisso@vt.edu
Contact: Michael Sutphin
Writer
Communications and Marketing
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Tech
(540) 231-6975
msutphin@vt.edu
Writer: Susan Suddarth
Student Intern
Communications and Marketing
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Virginia Tech