School Bus Safety for Kids

I’ve often wondered why most school buses do not have seatbelts to keep the children safe. Many school buses rely on cushioning and closely placed seats to keep children safe during accidents, but as far as I’m concerned, nothing tops a good seatbelt. The problem with seatbelts on bus seats (that sometimes sit three children per seat) is that they may hold the child to the seat but the body can be moved so violently during a crash that they child is injured anyway. Until the day seats are made so they can also have shoulder belts that fit properly, as well as lap belts, seatbelts may not be mandatory on buses.

When you think of bus safety you should know your child is in more danger when they are off the bus than when they are seated onboard. Most accidents happen when a child is struck by a car (or in some rare cases the bus itself) while exiting or boarding the bus.

Most buses now have yellow and red flashing lights. These are to warn motorists that children are exiting or entering the bus. If you are a motorist, you must abide by these flashing lights. You should teach your child what these lights mean and remind them that even if they are flashing, they still need to be mindful of all traffic because some people don’t pay attention to these lights.

Instruct your child on how to safely walk around the bus if they have to cross the road after exiting the bus. They should walk at least ten feet in front of the bus as they cross the street. This is so the bus driver can see them at all times.

Kids like to fool around where ever they are, and the bus stop is no exception. It’s a dangerous place for kids to be pushing each other, even in jest, or running around. Teach them to stand as far back from the road as possible and to keep rough play to a minimum. You should accompany them to the bus stop until you think they are old enough to be safe there by themselves, even if it’s just outside your door.

Remind your child to act as if they were in the car with you while they are riding the bus to and from school. They should remain seated until the bus comes to a complete stop and listen to any directions their bus driver gives them. They should not yell or cause a ruckus, which may distract the driver from focusing on the road. Some buses have monitors who ride along to take care of the children so the driver can drive. If your school system does not have this in place, find out what you can do to make it a reality.

Your school district should conduct emergency drills with your children in regards to bus safety. This includes how to exit the bus in a calm and orderly fashion in case of accident or other emergency. The back exit of a bus is high off the ground, and this may be a fear for your child. Show them how to safely get down from such a high area so they are not paralyzed with fear if they need to use the exit.

You can’t always be with your children as they grow, but your words and actions will remain with them while they are at school and out of your reach. You may feel like a giant bore as you go over safety issues with them, but remember your words may save their life.