When your child leaves the house in the morning do you know how safe they will be getting to school, and how secure they are on any trips or excursions they take part in when they are there?
School safety begins before the children arrive at school, even if they are on school transportation, and it does not end again until they are safely back home.
It is of the highest priority that parents, schools and transport managers work closely together to ensure all children get to school in safety and whilst at school. That is why School Travel Manager have developed a comprehensive safety system that focuses on children in transport whilst under the school’s care.
Parents Responsibilities
What steps can a parent take to ensure that their child’s journey to and from school is a safe one. The first thing to consider is how they get to school, from the minute they walk out of the door to the second they walk into the school.
Even if your home is relatively a short distance from the school are they familiar with any hazards along the way, either on foot or by bicycle?
Taking transport laid on by the school (school bus) has proved to be the safest way for students to get to their destination. But how safe are they boarding, alighting or riding on the bus?
School Bus
On most roads around the world, the school bus is one of the safest vehicles. The most dangerous part of the school bus ride is not when the kids are on the bus, but getting on and off it. A statistic in America by the NHTSA, states that this danger zone accounts for three times as many accidents and fatalities than the rest of the bus journey.
The reason for this is:-
- The children are not paying attention to surrounding traffic
- The students are in a hurry getting on and off the bus
- The children are not in sight of the driver
Preventive steps that parents can take to ensure the limitation of these hazards are:-
- Teach your kids to always stay in the driver’s view
- Make sure your children have a friend or a family member when walking to the bus
- Make sure your kids only walk in front of the bus
- Make sure your children obey every instruction the driver gives
- If your child drops something near the bus, they inform the driver
- Make sure the students don’t try to board or alight until the bus is stationery
- As soon as the children are on the bus they take a seat, buckle up and don’t move around.
These positive steps will certainly help your child’s safety when getting to and from school. If you want to assist the school with more advanced transport safety aids, a good idea would be for them to contact School Travel Manager and discuss what our advanced system could offer them.