National School Bus Safety Week

By Sherri Blevins
October 16 – 20 has been designated as National School Bus Safety Week by the United States Department of Transportation. The school bus has been named one of the safest modes of transportation for school children. Still, bus riders and drivers of other vehicles must follow safety rules to protect our children from injury or death.
Parents may use the following suggestions to prepare their children to wait on the bus:
Getting Ready for School

• Have your children put everything they carry in a backpack or school bag so they won’t drop things along the way.
• Encourage them to wear bright, contrasting colors so drivers will more easily see them.
• Make sure children leave home on time to arrive at the bus stop before it is due, ideally at least five minutes early. Running after or in front of a bus is dangerous.

Walking to the Bus Stop

• Walk young children to the bus stop or encourage children to walk in groups. There is safety in numbers; groups are easier for drivers to see.
• Practice good pedestrian behavior: walk on the sidewalk, and if there is no sidewalk, stay out of the street. If you must walk in the street, walk single file, face traffic, and stay as close to the edge of the road as possible.
• Stop and look left, right, and left again if you must cross the street. 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.

At the Bus Stop

• Have children wait in a location where the driver can see them while driving down the street.
  Try to avoid waiting in a house or car.
• Do not let children play in the street. Playing with balls or toys that could roll into the street is also dangerous.

Getting On and Off the Bus

• Warn children that if they drop something getting on and off the bus, they should never pick it up. Instead, they should tell the driver and follow the driver’s instructions.
• Remind children to look to the right before leaving the bus.
• If you meet your child at the bus stop after school, wait on the side where the child will be dropped off, not across the street. Children can be so excited to see you after school that they dash across the street and forget the safety rules.

Drivers following or meeting school buses must be aware and ready to follow the school bus stop safety laws or face penalties for breaking the law. The law and penalties are explained below:

• In general, if a school bus has flashing yellow lights, slow down, and if the bus has red lights flashing or a stop sign opened, stop completely. Motorists following or traveling alongside a school bus must also stop until the red lights have stopped flashing, the stop arm is withdrawn, and all children have reached safety.
• The driver of a vehicle, upon meeting or overtaking from either direction of any school bus that has stopped to receive or discharge any school children on a highway, on a roadway, on school property, or upon a private road, shall bring the vehicle to a complete stop before reaching the school bus.
• The driver of a vehicle on a divided highway having four or more lanes, which permits at least two lanes of traffic to travel in opposite directions, need not stop the vehicle upon meeting a school bus that is stopped in the opposing roadway.
• The penalties for violating the Alabama School Bus Stop laws are stiff. Keeping children safe on school buses is the top priority for school boards, administrators, parents/families, and community stakeholders. Remember that these numbers do not factor in court costs (generally $160.00).
• 1st offense: Punished by a fine of not less than $150 or more than $300
• 2nd offense: Fine is not less than $300 or more than $500. In addition, the driver shall complete at least 100 hours of community service and a suspended license for 30 days
• 3rd offense: Fine is not less than $500 or more than $1,000. In addition, 200 hours of community service and a suspended license for 90 days
• 4th offense: Guilty of a CLASS “C” FELONY. The fine is not less than $1,000 or more than $3,000. In addition, the license is REVOKED for one year.
  Please follow school bus safety practices every day of the school year, not just this week.