October 2004

Colonel Paul McClellan
Superintendent
Ohio State Highway Patrol

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

Children, motorists, and parents should be made aware of the possible dangers both inside and around a school bus and how to avoid them. Today, school buses remain the safest mode of travel on Ohio roadways.

Motorists can do their part by starting to think about school bus safety the moment the vehicle is started. When backing out of a garage or driveway, watch for children walking to the school bus. Many times children who are walking or bicycling 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 or congregating near bus stops. Since children are sometimes unaware of the danger they face when walking or bicycling close to traffic, drivers should be extra cautious as they drive from one destination to the next.

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 ensure 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 up something 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 -- about 10 feet ahead of it -- to enable them to see the bus driver. Children should never walk behind a school bus, and should 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 promote a safe school year throughout Ohio.

It’s about safety.