It’s that time of year again!
School is back in session, and the roads are filled with school buses transporting precious cargo to and from school.
With the buses back on the road, it is important for all drivers to make sure that they remain vigilant and follow the laws involving buses to help ensure the safety of the children who ride them.
The Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) makes the following suggestions for both driving and unloading in school zones and safely sharing the road with buses:
When dropping kids off:
• Pay close attention to children moving around and going in between vehicles.
• Don’t unload children across the street from the school.
• Try to carpool so there are fewer vehicles at the school.
Sharing the Road with school buses:
• Never pass a school bus that is stopped to unload or load children.
• If yellow or red lights are flashing and the stop sign is out, all traffic is required to stop.
• Stop more than 10 feet from the bus to allow children a safe distance to cross the road.
• Allow more distance when following a bus than you would with a car to help prevent more accidents.
For some parents, allowing their children to ride a bus for the first time can be a scary concept. The following are some tips to help teach children how to be safe when riding a bus.
• Walk with the kids to the bus stop and wait with them until the bus arrives. Have kids take at least three large steps back from the curb when the bus approaches so they aren’t too close to the road.
• Teach kids to wait until the bus comes to a complete stop before they start to approach it and never to walk behind a bus.
• If a child has to cross the street to exit or load the bus, teach them to take five steps in front of the bus and make eye contact with the bus driver, only crossing when the driver indicates that it is safe to do so. Teach them to look left, right, and then left again before crossing.
• Make sure kids know to let the bus driver know if they drop something around the bus that they have to pick up so that the bus driver can see them at all times.
The safety of the kids is the most important thing to remember when school buses are on the road. Even if you’re in a hurry and trying to get to work, make sure to follow the law and not pass any stopped buses with their signs out and lights flashing.
