National School Bus Safety Week
While experts say riding a school bus remains the safest way to transport a child to and from school, that doesn’t mean there still aren’t dangers.
This week is National School Bus Safety Week and News 25’s Katarina Luketich shows us what local schools are doing to keep our kids safe.
“Stop. Sit on your tush. Hop off the bus.” Gaston Point Elementary students practiced this evacuation process, in case their bus caught on fire, was in a wreck or faced some other emergency. It’s all part of National School Bus Safety Week. Bus driver Ken Gosness said, “It is constant awareness, making them understand the significance of what can happen if they don’t follow safety rules.”
Bus drivers also reiterate to stand 12 feet from the bus while waiting and never stand in a spot where the driver cannot see you, areas known as “danger zones.” Location Manager at First Student Carolyn Melton said, “If we don’t educate all children, they’re not going to be aware of what they’re expected. We want to make sure they have a safe trip on the bus and we want to make everything as safe as possible.”
But educating children won’t keep them safe from all types of danger. Bus drivers tell News 25 often times cars are not stopping when they’re letting children off the bus. “If there is a dangerous situation, we honk the horn and make sure the kids get back. They still also have to rely on their own instincts and turn and look to see and make sure. Don’t take it for granted just because the bus stops and has the signs out that somebody is going to stop,” said Gosness.
While education efforts like this one give students a plan for safety, it takes a team effort between the bus drivers, the students and even others behind the wheel to keep the children safe while heading to and from school.
According to a recent survey with 102,000 bus drivers reporting, there were more than 78,000 illegal passing violations involving school buses in just one day.
This week is National School Bus Safety Week and News 25’s Katarina Luketich shows us what local schools are doing to keep our kids safe.
“Stop. Sit on your tush. Hop off the bus.” Gaston Point Elementary students practiced this evacuation process, in case their bus caught on fire, was in a wreck or faced some other emergency. It’s all part of National School Bus Safety Week. Bus driver Ken Gosness said, “It is constant awareness, making them understand the significance of what can happen if they don’t follow safety rules.”
Bus drivers also reiterate to stand 12 feet from the bus while waiting and never stand in a spot where the driver cannot see you, areas known as “danger zones.” Location Manager at First Student Carolyn Melton said, “If we don’t educate all children, they’re not going to be aware of what they’re expected. We want to make sure they have a safe trip on the bus and we want to make everything as safe as possible.”
But educating children won’t keep them safe from all types of danger. Bus drivers tell News 25 often times cars are not stopping when they’re letting children off the bus. “If there is a dangerous situation, we honk the horn and make sure the kids get back. They still also have to rely on their own instincts and turn and look to see and make sure. Don’t take it for granted just because the bus stops and has the signs out that somebody is going to stop,” said Gosness.
While education efforts like this one give students a plan for safety, it takes a team effort between the bus drivers, the students and even others behind the wheel to keep the children safe while heading to and from school.
According to a recent survey with 102,000 bus drivers reporting, there were more than 78,000 illegal passing violations involving school buses in just one day.
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