Schools

Bus Safety Tips for Gwinnett Parents and Students

Introduce new bus riders to bus safety rules and refresh older students to avoid tragic accidents.

Parents, it is important to introduce new school bus riders to bus safety rules and refresh older students to prevent tragic accidents during the 2011-12 school year. 

Motorists are reminded to stop both ways for school buses loading or unloading students and watch for students walking to and from bus stops.

The new school year starts Monday, Aug. 8, and there will be additional traffic on the road, especially near schools in the mornings and afternoons during drop-off and pick-up times. Vary departure times and alter routes to avoid congestion around schools if possible.

Find out what's happening in Duluthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And slow down! The speed limit in school zones is 25 mph during arrival and departure times for students. Signs and yellow flashing lights indicate when this speed limit is in effect.

Bus safety tips provided by Gwinnett County Public Schools Transportation Services for parents and students follow.

Find out what's happening in Duluthwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Check before you step off the bus.
Unfortunately, vehicles often pass stopped school buses, sometimes even on the side where children disembark from the bus.
• Please help us teach your child to stop on the bottom step and check
carefully for vehicles approaching from the rear, before getting off the
bus in the afternoon.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: If you witness a motorist pass a stopped bus, note the license plate and report it at once via 911.

I see the driver, the driver sees me.
Eye contact between child and bus driver eliminates the danger of children being so close to the bus that the bus driver cannot see them.
• A child who needs to cross the street after getting off the bus should
walk far enough in front of the bus to see the driver’s face.
• While maintaining eye contact, the child should wait until the bus driver indicates with a hand signal that it’s safe to begin crossing.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please do nothing to distract your child from making eye contact with the bus driver during the
crossing process. It’s critical to your child’s safety!

Stop and check for traffic.
Once the bus driver has indicated that it’s safe to begin crossing,
children still need to stop before
entering the unprotected traffic lane and check carefully left, right, and left again.
• Without frequent reminders, young children may rush across the road without thinking when they see a parent waiting for them on the other side of the street.
• Older children may become overconfident and fail to follow safe crossing procedures.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Make sure your child understands that motorists don’t always stop for stopped school buses.

Avoid dangerous clothing.
• Although school bus handrails were redesigned years ago to reduce
snagging dangers, long drawstrings, or other dangling items, such
as backpack straps, can still get caught in the bus door as children exit
the bus.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Take a few moments to check over your children’s sweatshirts, jackets, backpacks, and coats.

If you drop something near the bus, never try to get it on your own.
Across the country, children have been killed when they dropped an item near a school bus, tried to retrieve it by themselves, and were then run over by the bus driver who didn’t see the child.
• Children carrying loose papers as they disembark are at most risk of
dropping something near, or under, the bus.
• Children who drop something should move away from the bus and wave both hands in the air to get the bus driver’s attention. If the bus driver doesn’t notice the child, the object should be left in the
roadway, and the child should ask another adult for help.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Make sure your child carries all his or her belongings in a backpack or book bag.

Don’t distract the bus driver.
One of the most common causes of a school bus accident is bus driver
distraction because of student behavior problems on board the bus.
• Distracting the bus driver is especially dangerous when children are in the process of getting on or off the bus.
• All children deserve a safe bus ride. The unsafe actions of a few cannot be allowed to place all children at risk.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please talk with your child about the importance of not distracting the bus driver.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here