Are You Putting Your Child’s Life at Risk by Sending Them to School on the Bus?
With the start of every school year comes the daily routine of sending your kids off to meet the school bus. But when your children are young and just beginning school, such as when they are in kindergarten it may be a bit overwhelming. Are you actually putting your child’s life at risk? If you have watched the news over the past school year then you have probably seen all of the accidents that occur with kids in school busses. Let’s take for example the fumes that your child will be breathing in when they are ridding on the bus. If they are exposed to this type of engine exhaust for an extended period of time say for example one school year they can develop health problems like asthma.
This does not necessarily mean that everything about the bus is bad, but what exactly are the good things about the bus and what additional things do you have to worry about? Of course the officials will always tell parents that ridding the school bus is safe. But how many times have you heard of little children falling asleep on the bus and no one even noticing. Unfortunately we have to teach their children to be responsible for themselves. No matter how tired they may be you will have to stress the importance of not falling asleep on the bus. Don’t just leave it up to the bus aid or the bus driver to make sure that you little one gets there safely. You should also teach your child to exit the bus and keep a safe distance away from the bus. Teach them that if they can see the bus driver through the front window when going to the sidewalk then the bus driver can see them. If however they are walking to close to the bus then the driver will not be able to see them and they will not be able to see the bus driver. They should also know that even though other drivers are required to stop the when the bus is loading and unloading they do not always do this. So it is still important that you the parents stress the importance of stopping and looking both ways before crossing the street to the sidewalk. They should not just assume that all the cars are going to stop.
Did you know that their is even a school bus safety weak, where the schools focus on following the school bus rules? This really is a great practice for little kids, and as a parent you should make sure that you show all of your support during this week and review any information that is sent home with them. Remember this is a crucial time for your child to learn to do things by themselves without your assistance which is why training is essential. For more information on National School Bus Safety week you can visit the following websites, http://ideanet.doe.state.in.us.
