School Bus Safety Week

Written by David Harman, Executive Director of Support Services

The National School Transportation Association (NSTA) and the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) are promoting School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 15-19, 2012.

As a nation, approximately 22.5 million, or 54 percent of all K-12 students ride school buses to and from school. This year’s safety week theme is “I see the driver and the driver sees me!” Portage school bus drivers will be working with their students on proper crossing and driver hand signals during bus safety week.

The scheduling of School Bus Safety Week coincides with the shorter days of fall and the observance of Daylight Savings time. As days get shorter and we move our clocks back, students will be walking to and from bus stops and school in the dark. Parents should remember to dress students in reflective or highly visible clothing. Parents should also review walking safety with their students and remind them to look both ways before entering the street. Remind students to avoid jaywalking, always cross the street at crosswalks or intersections.

Drivers should be alert for students walking in neighborhoods and in school zones. Drivers should know the law as it pertains to passing a school bus with its stop arm out. Unless the roadway is separated by a physical barrier, traffic in both directions must stop. Drivers should ensure their headlights are on low beam as they approach a bus loading or unloading students. Headlights on high beam make it very difficult for the bus driver to see students.

Today’s school buses are tougher and more diligently maintained than ever before. Their sheer size makes them safer than most vehicles by getting students up and out of the typical crash zone. School buses are specially constructed to withstand large impacts without compromising the passenger compartment. High padded seatbacks provide superior protection in case of an accident. The safety of all students on the bus is reliant on students obeying the bus safety rules. Parents, please use school bus safety week as an opportunity to review bus safety rules with your students. The rules are outlined on the Portage Township Schools website at www.portage.k12.in.us under the transportation tab. All Portage Township school buses are equipped with video and audio recorders to assist the drivers and administrators in the enforcement of safety rules.

School Bus Safety Week is also a time to show appreciation to your student’s bus driver. Being a school bus driver is no easy task. School bus drivers receive special training in safety, security and medical procedures; pass an extensive background check; undergo regular drug and alcohol testing; and receive regular driving record checks.

The rules and laws that drivers are required to know and master are extensive. The following is an abbreviated list of what drivers are required to do daily; they must safely navigate a 38 foot vehicle through congested neighborhoods, effectively manage up to 72 students on their bus, account for every student that boards and/or exits their bus, comprehend and execute a myriad of safety checks before, during and after each route, know who needs to exit their bus early to eat breakfast and they must maintain a seating chart with assigned seats. Few other school employees are asked to do so much without any other employee present.