Spotlight With David Daggett: School Bus Safety
School is now back in session full-time, and it is a good time for some reminders about school bus safety. On my commute into the office each day, I encounter several school buses taking our young people to their classrooms for a full day of learning. As a child I rode one of those busses to school, and I bet you did too. I know that as a child on one of those yellow buses, neither you nor I gave one thought about the other cars on the road. We also never realized the efforts that our families, school administrators, teachers, and wider community gave to keeping us safe while traveling to and from school.
Did you know that students are about 70 times more likely to get to school safely when taking a school bus instead of traveling by car? Isn’t that amazing? The collective effort we as a society have put into thoughtful bus routes, stops, and the rules and regulations surrounding school buses mean that our children are protected when around or near a school bus. Nevertheless, we all need a reminder about school bus safety to ensure that our students are safe on their way to their most important job: learning.
First – Make sure that you are aware of any and all bus stops along your commute. Be aware of your surroundings. I know that a new bus stop popped up on my commute this year, and I am extra-careful driving past that bus stop now. Parents, instruct your kids to stand six feet away from the curb so that they are very clearly out of the road.