Safety
Transportation
School Bus Safety
The Danger Zone, the area 10 feet in all directions around the bus, is talked about in great detail with the students. Statistics say that most of the accidents that occur to bus riders are within the Danger Zone. “Drivers are trained from the start to always check and recheck their mirrors; giving them a full view of the Danger Zone.” commented On- Board Instructor, Debra DeSonie . Children put a high price on a picture that they have drawn at school that day, and if they should drop it, they will want to go after it. “Northmont drivers are always aware of where their students are during loading and unloading”, says Mary Myers, a long time driver. They tell their students to always be watching their driver and to stay far enough out in front of the bus so they can be seen, and never, never go after something that went under the bus.
Children must be reminded regularly about facing the front, keeping their feet out of the isle, and sitting properly in their seats. Debbie Rigsby reminded us that with the high seat backs in school buses, small children cannot see around them, so they will stand up or lean out into the isle to see where they are going. The driver must remind the students of these very important safety rules. In the unlikely event of a bus accident, the best place for the student is to be properly seated in his/her seat.
Some other safety rules are:
- Keep all body parts inside the bus windows
- No live pets on the bus
- No eating or drinking on the bus
- Always use your inside voice on the bus
- Wear jackets and book bags to keep your hands free to use the handrails
- Always watch for the driver to signal when it is safe to cross the street
- Look both ways before crossing to the curb
- Never get up before the bus comes to a stop
- Be at the bus stop 5 minutes before your bus arrives, and line up in a single file when the bus comes to a stop.
What can parents do to help?
Several important things!
- Parents can review the bus rider code of conduct with their children and make sure they understand the rules and regulations.
- Parents can make sure their children are at the bus stop 5 minutes before bus arrival.
- Parents can remind their children to be polite while boarding the bus and while waiting at the bus stop.
- Parents can advise their children to obey and respect the bus driver, who has full responsibility for the student’s safety.
- Parents who drive their children to school are reminded to follow the drop off and pick up guidelines at each school and to avoid parking in bus lanes.
- Parents are asked to be aware that buses cannot stop at every house, that in most cases corner stops are the most convenient and cause fewer traffic problems.
Northmont buses will be traveling the many streets of the district and although a bus may pass by a student’s home, it may not be the bus transporting students to his/her school. And finally, on a safety issue, all vehicle operators are reminded that when a school bus is stopped to load or unload students and the stop bar is extended, passing the school bus is illegal.
The Northmont Transportation routing team consisting of Eric Shafner, Mary Hoskins and Sue Bell look forward to the coming school year. A great deal of time and effort has gone into getting prepared. They are ready. The team expects a safe and efficient operation. The Northmont Transportation department can be reached at 832-5050.