During the school year in the United States, twenty three million students begin and end their day with a trip on the school bus. The greatest risk they face is not on the school bus, but approaching and leaving the bus. Most of those killed are pedestrians, five to seven years old. They are hit in the danger zone around the bus either by a passing vehicle or by the school bus itself. It is illegal for a car to pass a bus with its red light flashing.
Young children are most likely to be hit because they hurry to get on and off the bus.
The act before they think and have little experience with traffic. They assume motorists will see them and will wait for them to cross. And they don t always stay within the bus driver s sight. Although School Bus Safety Rules are common sense, it is good for adults and children to review the rules. It is especially important for parents to explain these rules to young students who are encountering school bus transportation for the first time.