When a child gets on the school bus in the morning, parents rarely worry about the bus having an accident. But, each year, an estimated 33 children across the country are killed in school bus-related accidents. Such accidents are almost always preventable and require just a few moments of instruction with kids to help save their lives.
Instruct your child to never walk directly in front of the bus. When most children get off the bus, they cross the street directly in front of the bus. This makes it difficult for the bus driver to see if any children are still in front.
In general, parents should instruct children to take five long paces in the direction the bus is traveling before crossing in front of the bus. This will leave enough room for the bus driver to see, especially if kids drop anything while crossing the street.
Tell your child to always look both ways before getting off the bus. Before stepping off the bus, kids should always look both ways. While buses should always be in the right hand lane, bikes or even cars in a hurry could attempt to get around the bus on the shoulder.
Most children killed in bus accidents are killed getting on or off the bus or waiting at the bus stop. Many motorists disobey the laws regarding stopping for a school bus, so kids should be extra careful and always keep their eyes peeled for moving traffic.
Teach your children to listen to the crossing guards. Urban neighborhoods, or those with a busy intersection, often have crossing guards to help keep children safe. Kids should be instructed to wait for crossing guards before venturing across the street.
At stops where no crossing guards are present, encourage children to act with extreme caution when crossing the street. Should any books or supplies be dropped in the middle of the road, finish crossing the street first. Once a child has made it across the street, check to see if it’s safe to go back and pick up the book.
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