School bus safety tips
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Parent Tips
A set of safety tips on riding in the bus. This will help your student to ride smart and stay safe.
- Have your children put everything they carry in a backpack or school bag so that they won't drop things along the way to the bus stop.
- Make sure they leave home on time so they can walk to the bus stop and arrive before the bus is due. Running can be dangerous.
- Have them wear bright, contrasting colors so they will be more easily seen by drivers.
- Walk your young child to the bus stop and have older children walk in groups.
- There is safety in numbers; groups are easier for drivers to see.
- Practice good pedestrian behavior. Your children should walk on the sidewalk; if there is no sidewalk, they should stay out of the street.
- If they must walk in the street, they should walk single file, face traffic and stay as close to the edge of the road as they can.
- Tell your child to stop and look left, right and then left again if they must cross the street. They should do the same thing at driveways and alleys. Exaggerate your head turns and narrate your actions so your child knows you are looking left, right and left.
- Don't let your child play running games or push and shove at the bus stop. It is dangerous near traffic.
- Make sure your child stands at least 10 feet (5 giant steps) from the road while waiting for the bus. The child will then be out of the way of traffic.
- Have younger children practice taking 5 giant steps to become familiar with 10 feet.
- Warn children that if they drop something, they should never pick it up. Instead, they should tell the driver and follow the driver's instructions.
- If they bend over to pick up a dropped object, they might not be seen by the driver and could be hurt if the driver pulls away from the stop.
- Remind children to look to the right before they step off the bus. Drivers in a hurry sometimes try to sneak by buses on the right.
- Teach your children to secure loose drawstrings and other objects that may get caught in the handrail or door of the bus as they are exiting.
- Children should talk quietly, be courteous to the driver and follow the driver's instructions.
- Children should stay seated during the entire bus ride and keep the aisles clear.
*From www.ncbussafety.org
