There is nothing like watching those smiling faces through the windows of the school bus knowing that our children are safe and learning new and exciting things! Each year we like to reach out and remind our Westerville drivers to watch out for our kids as they wait for the bus and to be careful around the buses themselves. This year we found some really interesting facts as well.
Did you know that students are about 70 times more likely to get to school SAFELY on the bus than by car?!
That’s because school buses are the most regulated vehicles on the road; they’re designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in preventing crashes and injuries; and in every State, stop-arm laws protect children from other motorists.
- Different by Design: School buses are designed so that they’re highly visible and include safety features such as flashing red lights, cross-view mirrors and stop-sign arms. They also include protective seating, high crush standards and rollover protection features.
- Protected by the Law: Laws protect students who are getting off and on a school bus by making it illegal for drivers to pass a school bus while dropping off or picking up passengers, regardless of the direction of approach.
For Drivers
Make school bus transportation safer for everyone by following these practices:
- When backing out of a driveway or leaving a garage, watch out for children walking or bicycling to school.
- When driving in neighborhoods with school zones, watch out for young people who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking of getting there safely.
- Slow down. Watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in neighborhood.
- Watch for children playing and congregating near bus stops.
- Be alert. Children arriving late for the bus may dart into the street without looking for traffic.
Here at Westerville Automotive in Westerville we know you agree with us that keeping our children safe is the number one priority for us as a community and these interesting facts are things that we all realize, but we wanted to reach out and share them with you so we could all get back into the habit of watching out for our kids on the streets! Watching buses go by here at the shop means our kids are off getting ready for that next adventure and we can't wait to see what it is.
