School Bus Safety Reminders ~ #BacktoSchool

With the kids now back in school, that means those big yellow buses are all over the roads, and kids are all over the bus stops! I know I pass at least 4 bus stops full of children on route to my son’s day care and then to work.

While drivers need to be paying attention at all times, it is also a good idea to teach your child the importance of school bus safety. Here are some tips to keep in mind:

Headed to the bus stop?

WALK WALK WALK! Never run. Make sure your child knows to stick to sidewalks, and not run in the road. It’s also always a good idea to walk on the left side, so that you are facing traffic.

While waiting at the bus stop, your child should be waiting in a safe spot away from the road. Again, with cars racing around, it is not the time to be running around and playing.

Speaking of running, it is always a good idea to make it to the bus stop early. That way there is no need for your child to be running to catch the bus. (Psst! Have you picked up on the “no running” theme yet?)

If your child must cross the street to get to the bus, they need to wait for the bus’ stop sign to appear first. Then check both ways for stopped traffic before crossing. Always cross in front of the bus, never behind!

So now you are on the bus…

Ensure that your child knows to find their seat once they are on the bus. This is not to the time to stop at every seat and chat with friends. Remind your child they will see their friends once they are off the bus! Also remind your child to face forward at all times.

Keep the aisles clear! Remind your child that their backpacks should remain in the seat with them. It’s not safe for them to dangle their legs into the aisles either.

If for any reason your child needs to communicate with the bus driver, ask them to wait for the bus to stop before calling the driver’s name.

Time to go! Safety when exiting the bus…

Remind your child on and off the bus at their designated stop only!

I’m going back to the “Do Not Run” theme. When heading off the bus, again, remind your child they need to walk, and not run. They should also make sure they take at least 5 more steps away from the door once they are off, so they will not be near the bus wheels.

Now this one is VERY important to go over with your child. If they drop something near the bus, they either need to wait for the bus to away from the vicinity before they pick it up, or alternately, alert the driver that they are reaching for something. They should wait for confirmation from driver before picking up the item.

Again, always cross in front of the bus, never behind!