The familiar sight of yellow buses back on our roadways signals the beginning of another school year. Please keep in mind that there are many special concerns to be considered when sharing the road with school buses.

Children, motorists, and parents need to be made aware of the possible dangers both inside and around a school bus and how to avoid them. This will do a great deal to ensure the safety of children on school buses. While school buses remain the safest mode of travel on Ohio roadways, school bus crashes do occur. In 2000, there were 2,082 school bus crashes in Ohio. The Patrol would like to see this number drop.

Motorists can do their part by starting to think about school bus safety the moment the car is started. When backing out of a garage or driveway, watch for children walking to the school bus. Many times walking or bicycling children are paying more attention to getting to school, and less attention to their personal safety.

Also, watch for children walking in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks, and for children playing and congregating near bus stops. Children are sometimes unaware of the danger they face when walking or bicycling close to traffic. Drivers need to be aware of this and pay close attention to children who may not be paying close attention themselves.

Motorists also have a responsibility to know the meaning of the flashing light system on school buses. The yellow and red lights are designed to help ensure the safety of both motorists and children.

Yellow flashing lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop. Motorists should slow down and prepare to stop.

Red flashing lights and the extended stop arm on a school bus indicate the bus has stopped for children to get on or off the bus. Motorists approaching from either direction are required to stop at least 10 feet from a stopped school bus until the bus resumes motion. If a school bus is stopped on a road divided into four or more lanes, only traffic driving in the same direction as the bus must stop.

Parents have an additional responsibility to school bus safety. Children should be taught about school bus safety before they step into a school bus for the first time, and this responsibility lies with the parent. It is important for children to learn how to stay safe both in and outside the school bus. Statistics show students are actually at a greater risk standing outside a bus than riding in a bus.

Students should arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to pick them up. While waiting for the bus, they should stand at least three giant steps away from the curb, and line up away from the street. Before stepping into the bus, children should wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver gives permission.

Parents should encourage their children to sit quietly in their seat and follow the driver’s instructions on school bus safety. When exiting the bus, care should be taken to check that clothing with drawstrings and book bags with straps do not get caught in the handrails or doors. Additionally, students should never go back for anything left on the bus, and never bend down near or under the bus to pick something up that has fallen.

Passengers should always walk in front of the bus when they must cross a street to get on or off the bus. Children should walk far enough in front of the bus that they can see the bus driver, which is about 10 feet ahead of the bus. Children should never walk behind a school bus, and stay at least three feet away from the side of a bus.

With the cooperation of motorists, parents, and children, we can all help make the bus ride to and from school as safe as possible for our children, and make this a safe school year throughout Ohio.

It’s about safety.