October 19-23 is National School Bus Safety Week. 

We live near several school bus stops, and I see so many people daily ignore the stop arm. It’s dangerous to ignore it and people will and do get hurt.  So please stop and Obey.  It is never legal to pass a school bus from behind when the red lights are flashing, and it is illegal to pass such a school bus when traveling in the opposite direction. In a few states, it is legal to pass a stopped school bus with flashing red lights when traveling in the opposite direction on a divided highway.

26 million students who take the school bus daily – Avoid Harm, Obey the Stop Arm!  This is the theme for the 42 annual School Bus Safety Week.

              The yellow school bus has been found by the National Academy of Sciences and U.S. Department of Transportation to be the safest way to transport students, which is tremendously important considering half the nation’s students ride the bus daily.  Additionally, each school bus takes an estimated 36 cars off the road, decreasing traffic, especially around schools.  Despite this, less than half the nation’s parents (49 percent) realize the school bus is the safest way for children to get to and from school according to a recent American School Bus Council nationwide survey of parents

importance for drivers to follow the rules of the road and stop when the stop arm deploys, which includes red flashing lights and a stop sign, and children get on and off the bus.  The stop arm requires drivers in all states to stop, but this traffic violation is a common occurrence as noted in studies conducted by numerous states.

About School Bus Safety Week

School Bus Safety Week was created in 1960, commemorated by Congress and the President in 1969 and recognized most recently by a congressional resolution in 2006.  The goal of SBSW, which is sponsored each year by the National Association for Pupil Transportation, National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services and National School Transportation Association, is to emphasize the importance of a unified effort among students, parents and the motoring public to ensure a safe and secure ride for the nearly 26 million children who are transported daily on yellow school buses. This week also recognizes the hard work and dedication of school transportation professionals, especially the school bus drivers who ensure a safe journey for students daily. For more information about SBSW, visit www.napt.org.

Please teach your children, and everyone else the importance of this.  The American School Bus Council Web site features school bus safety coloring pages and a downloadable children’s book  www.americanschoolbuscouncil.org.

Some articles relating to this:

http://www.thetimesnews.com/news/class-28682-bodycopy-stop.html

http://www.indystar.com/article/20091001/LOCAL0503/910010383/1020/LOCAL05/Safety+campaign+targets+school+zones