Back to School Safety

At the beginning of a new school year the Community Traffic Safety Teams remind you to watch for children. When driving, watch for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking about their safety walking.

We also remind you to be alert and obey school bus stop procedures. School buses are one of the safest modes of transportation in the nation, 8 times safer than the family car. Average annual statistics for the 450,000 school buses operated nationally demonstrate this fact. Of the national average of 20 children killed annually near or on school buses, 15 were killed off the bus. Watch for children as you approach school buses.

  • School zone yellow flashing lights mean a 15 mile per hour speed limit.
  • School bus yellow flashing lights mean that the school bus is preparing to stop. Motorists should slow down and be ready to stop their vehicle.
  • School bus red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate that the school bus has stopped and children are boarding or exiting.
  • On a two-lane road, all vehicles in both directions must stop.
  • On a divided highway where no median or barriers exist, all vehicles are mandated to stop.
  • On a divided highway with raised median or physical barriers vehicles traveling in the opposite direction are not required to stop.

Back to School Safety Tips

School bus transportation is safe. In fact, buses are safer than cars. Even so approximately 20 students are killed annually across the nation in or around school buses. More often than not, these deaths and injuries didn't occur in a crash, but when students were off the bus. Remember these safety tips:

  • Have a safe place to wait for your bus, away from traffic and the street.
  • Stay 10 feet away from the bus until it comes to a complete stop and the driver signals you to enter.
  • When being dropped off, exit the bus and walk ten giant steps away from the bus.
  • Keep a safe distance between you and the bus. Also, remember that the bus driver can see you best when you are back away from the bus. 
  • Be aware of the street traffic around you. Drivers are required to follow certain rules of the road concerning school buses, however, not all do.
  • Protect yourself and watch out.

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