Student Training

The first thing you have to realize when you are teaching bus safety to children is that children under the age of 8 aremore likely to be injured or killed in a bus related accident. They are also less likely to be able to fully understand the rules you are trying to teach. The younger the child, the more creative you will have to be. First you have to teach them the rules, then you have to remind them daily.

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1. Be at the bus stop 5 minutes early.

2. Stand 10 feet away from the curb/street while waiting.

3. Never move toward the bus until it comes to a full stop.

4. Never run toward or any where around the bus.

5. Sit quietly and keep your hands and feet to yourself while riding.

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1. Wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before leaving your seat.

2. Make sure all of your things are put away in your bag before you exit the bus.

3. Walk a full 10 feet away from the bus.

4. If crossing the street

   a. Always cross in front of the bus.

   b. Make sure you are 10 feet in front of the bus.

   c. Wait for the drivers signal before crossing.

   d. After the driver has signaled that it is safe to cross, stop at the edge of the bus to check for traffic before moving into the street and keep checking for traffic as you cross.

5. Do not stop to check the mail.

6. Make sure your driver sees that you are away from the bus.

7. Never return to the bus without the drivers permission for any reason.

These rules are important and every child needs to learn them, but, they also need to know why they are important. They also need to fully understand what they mean.

Children under 10 yrs of age have little concept of what 10 feet actually is. When working with children in the schools we have them walk off what they think is 10 feet, then we show them what it actually is. We recommend taking them out to a bus and using objects they are familiar  with, such as a bike and a back pack, show them the size relationship to the bus. Let them sit in the drivers seat on a box so they can see what the driver sees. Stress to them why they show them that the driver can't see them when they are too close to the bus.

Middle school age children believe that nothing can happen to them. Starting as young as 4th grade we let them know that children have been injured and killed by their own school bus. We have seen many at this age that think they know all the rules, but can't walk off 10 feet or cross properly in front of the bus. This age thinks they know everything. You have to show them they still have something to learn and that bus safety is still important to them. We also try to make them feel important. We stress that they are the big kids on the bus. They need to set an example for the younger kids and to help them at the bus stop.

Jr. High and High school aged students still need bus safety. They will either be the oldest riders on the bus or the youngest drivers on the road. As the oldest riders on the bus they need to realize why sitting quietly is so important. They need to learn that too much activity, even fun, is a distraction to the driver. Any distraction to the driver could be an injury to one of their fellow bus riders. As the youngest drivers on the road they need to know why it is so important to be more aware around a bus stop. Whether they are riders or drivers we still have them walk off 10 feet and practice crossing in front of the bus and we still see students who can't get it right. We stress they need to help teach the younger children and help the driver at bus stops. They may have a younger sibling, cousin, or friend that they don't want to lose in a bus accident.