By Faith Peppers
University of Georgia
The first day of school, just a few weeks away, can be
exciting.
New clothes, new book bags, new teachers and, for some, the new
experience of riding the big, yellow bus. Before you send your
child to the bus stop, be prepared.
“Students are much more at risk traveling to and from school
than
at any other time during the school day,” said Don Bower, a
University of Georgia Extension Service human development
specialist.
More than 33 children die each year
Millions of children in the United States ride safely on
school
buses each day. But an average of 33 school-age children die in
school bus-related traffic crashes each year, according to the
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“In the 1997-98 school year, more than 800 students (ages 5-
18)
were killed on their way to and from school if you include all
modes of transportation — not just school buses,” Bower
said.
According to the NHTSA, an average of 14 school-age
pedestrians
are killed by school buses each year, and six are killed by
other
vehicles involved in bus-related accidents.
Most of those killed in bus accidents are pedestrians 5 to 7
years old. They’re hit in the danger zone around the bus, either
by a passing vehicle or by the bus itself.
“Many more kids are killed running in front of or behind the
bus
and getting hit by another car,” Bower said. “They can get their
backpack caught on the bus handrail and get injured or stoop to
pick something up under the bus and the driver doesn’t see
them.”
Follow these safety rules
Get the year off to a good start by reviewing bus-stop safety
rules.
Bill Barnett of the Pupil Transportation division of the
Georgia
Department of Public Safety offers these tips:
* Get to the bus stop 5 minutes before the bus’s scheduled
arrival. “Kids get hurt when they are rushing to catch a bus,”
he
said.
* Don’t play at the bus stop.
* Wait well off the road.
* Dress for the weather.
* Don’t start toward the bus until it stops completely and
the
red lights come on.
* When you get on the bus, use the handrail and take the
steps
one at a time.
* Cross in front of the bus, far enough out so the driver
can see
you.
* If you have to cross the street to get on the bus, check
for
traffic and wait for the bus driver to signal you to cross the
road. “After the driver signals, check for traffic again before
you cross the road,” Barnett warns.
How old is old enough?
Another question parents often face: When is my child old
enough
to walk to school or to the bus stop alone?
“It all depends on the maturity of the child,” Bower
said.
It also depends on neighborhood safety.
“A child should not walk to school by himself younger than
age
9,” Bower said. “They should walk with an adult. But at 9 years
old and up, depending on the neighborhood and the distance to
school, most mature children should be fine.”
The same can be used as a guideline for going to a bus stop
alone.
“A parent should walk with the child to school or the bus
stop
the first few times for practice,” Bower said.
Seatbelts on school buses are an often-debated issue, but
Bower
says full-sized buses are very safe with or without them. Some
states require belts on buses, and the NHTSA is reviewing these
standards.
The greatest risks to children on school buses are other
cars.
The NHTSA warns that in neighborhoods, near schools and at
bus
stops, drivers need to take special care because children don’t
behave like adults and may dart out into the road. Watch
carefully as children exit a school bus. And wait for the bus to
move along before driving forward.
