Did you know that each year more than 800 students are killed going to and from school?
The nationwide safety record* for the 25 million children who do not ride school buses to and from school each day.

· 448 fatalities in passenger vehicles with a teenage driver

· 169 fatalities in passenger vehicles with an adult driver

· 131 fatalities to pedestrians

• 46 fatalities to bicyclists

The nationwide safety record* for the 25 million children who ride school buses to and from school each day.

· 5 passenger fatalities

• 15 pedestrian fatalities at school bus stops

With this information in mind, how do you want your kids to get to and from school? To learn more about school bus safety, and how you can help get more children on school buses, go to http://www.schoolbusinfo.org/

For more information and promotional materials, visit the National Association for Pupil Transportation website.

Fact Sheet: School Bus Safety from the School Bus Information Council Website Promoting the importance of school bus safety to parents, educators and children is a top priority of

the American School Bus Council (ASBC). As the unified voice of the school bus industry, the

ASBC offers the following safety information for parents, school administrators and children.

• The National Academy of Sciences, the U.S. Department of Transportation and other authorities

agree that school buses are the safest form of transportation for getting children to and from

school.

• Some 475,000 school buses carry 25 million children - more than half of America's

schoolchildren - each day, rarely with any serious accident.

• Safety features including the color and size of school buses, height, reinforced sides, flashing red

lights, cross view mirrors, and crossing and stop sign arms ensure children are protected and

secure on and off the bus.

• School bus drivers are highly trained professionals who have your child's safety in mind. They

receive specialized training in student behavior management, loading and unloading, security and

emergency medical procedures.

• Drivers participate in pre-employment and random drug/alcohol testing, as well as frequent

driving record checks, and submit to background checks and periodic medical exams to keep

their Commercial Driver's License (CDL) with a School Bus Endorsement.

• The school bus industry operates by a set of safety, security, health and driver qualification

guidelines that meet, and in some cases exceed, federal and state laws, and ensure that school

buses are the safest mode of transportation for our nation's schoolchildren.

• Be alert to traffic. Check both ways for cars before stepping off the bus.

• Make eye contact with the bus driver, and wait for his/her signal before crossing the street.

• Walk in front of the bus; never walk behind the bus to cross the street.

• While waiting for the bus, stay in a safe place away from the street.

• Before leaving the sidewalk, look for the flashing red lights.

• Never go near or under the bus to retrieve something you've dropped.

• Have your child ride the school bus to and from school instead of driving or riding with teenage

passengers.

• Review the safety tips with your child regularly.

• Get to know the parents of other riders. You will learn about the other children who are riding

along with your child.

• Team up with other parents to get involved and monitor bus stops and bus routes. Voice concerns

immediately to your school district.

• Attend "back to school" nights and tour your child's school bus.

• Get to know your school's transportation coordinator and your child's bus driver. He or she is a

trained professional who sees your child every day.

• Keep phone numbers handy in case the bus is delayed or in the event of an emergency.