Bus Stop Safety
How Parents Can Help Improve Bus Stop Safety
- Please have your child ready and at the bus stop at least five minutes early.
- If your child's not riding that day, a courtesy call is very much appreciated.
- Provide your child with a backpack to keep school items safely inside and reduce the chance of something dropping near or under the bus.
- Check your child's clothing for long drawstrings or other dangerous items that could get snagged in the bus door or in playground equipment. Long drawstrings are very dangerous.
- Provide brightly colored outerwear for your children whenever possible. Brighly-colored jackets and jackets with reflective tape make children more visible in low-light conditions.
- Insist on safe behavior at the bus stop - children should wait in an orderly fashion, safely back from the roadway. They shouldn't move toward the bus until it's come to a full stop and the driver signals it's safe.
- Reinforce safe loading and unloading behaviors - remind your child to wait for the bus driver's signal before crossing the street.
- Reinforce safe ridership - remind your child to not distract the bus driver. Driver distraction could cause an accident.
Student Responsibilities at Bus Stops
- Arrive 5 minutes early in the morning and wait in an orderly fashion, safely back from the road at your designated stop.
- Do not damage private property at or near your bus stop.
- Wear safe clothes - avoid long drawstrings or other clothing that could get snagged in the bus door. Brightly-colored clothing makes you much more visible to motorists.
- As your bus approaches, do not move towards it until it's completely stopped and your driver signals you.
- If you're late, never chase after your bus - it's very dangerous - go back home and ask an adult to help you get to school.
- If something or someone makes you feel unsafe at your bus stop, tell your bus driver, teacher, or parent.
- Keep all possessions inside your backpack while on the bus.
- Stay in your seat until the bus is stopped at school or your bus stop.
- Get off the bus at your designated stop in the afternoon.
- "Check before you stop" off your bus (for vehicles passing on the right side).
- If you don't have to cross, move away from the roadway and wait until your bus has left the area, and then go directly home. If you must cross, go far enough in front of the bus to see your driver's face.
- Wait for bus driver's "universal crossing signal" before starting across.
- If you're crossing with other students, stay together - don't straggle across.
- If your parents let you get the mail, wait until your bus has left the area and you can see traffic in both directions.
- If your parent or a friend is across the street waiting for you, pay attention to your driver until you're safely across.
- Older children should hold younger children's hands if they are crossing together.
- Before entering the unprotected part of the roadway, pause and look carefully left, right, and left again, and listen carefully for approaching cars.
- If your bus drier honks the horn while you're crossing, return to the side of the road you started from at once!
- If you drop something near the bus, leave it there and move safely back from the road - ask an adult for help.