School buses are the safest mode of motorized transportation for getting children to and from school, but injuries can occur if kids are not careful and aware when getting on and off the bus. These safety downloads provide tips for parents in teaching their children about walking to the bus stop, waiting for the bus and how to behave on the bus.
Make School Bus Transportation Safer
- Learning activities about general traffic safety that also contains mazes, word searches and tic-tac-toe.
- Coloring sheets for the younger kids that explores school bus etiquette, and safety.
- Activity books featuring word searches, word scrambles and craft ideas that teach children about school bus safety.
Teach Kids Bus Safety
- Tell kids to stand at least three giant steps back from the curb as the bus approaches and board the bus one at a time.
- Teach kids to wait for the bus to come to a complete stop before getting off and never to walk behind the bus.
- If your child needs to cross the street after exiting the bus, he or she should take five giant steps in front of the bus, make eye contact with the bus driver and cross when the driver indicates it is safe. Teach kids to look left, right and left again before crossing the street.
- Instruct younger kids to use handrails when boarding or exiting the bus. Be careful of straps or drawstrings that could get caught in the door. If your children drop something, they should tell the bus driver and make sure the bus driver is able to see them before they pick it up.
- Drivers should always follow the speed limit and slowdown in school zones and near bus stops. Remember to stay alert and look for kids who may be trying to get to or from the school bus.
- Slow down and stop if you are driving near a school bus that is flashing yellow or red lights. This means the bus is either preparing to stop (yellow) or already stopped (red), and children are getting on or off.
Information and Resources
The goal of schoolbusfacts.com is to provide communications resources about the school bus from trusted sources.
These resources have three primary objectives:
- The Benefits Of School Bus Ridership
Less traffic, cleaner air and more affordable transportation—these are just some of the benefits that the school bus provides. And since the school bus is the safest way to travel to and from school, it is hard to find a reason to send children to school any other way. - Keeping Children Safe in and Around the School Bus
Obstructed views and distracted drivers put children at risk. It is important that parents and educators talk to children about ways to stay safe in and around the school bus, and that motorists follow laws pertaining to school buses in their state. - Supporting the School Bus
There’s no question that communities depend on the school bus. But school bus service is often at risk when budget cuts are considered. Support is key to keeping school bus ridership strong in your community.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) offers six training videos for school bus drivers and school bus monitors to learn how to properly install, and place a child in, three types of a child safety restraint systems (rear-facing, forward-facing, and safety vest). The videos illustrate various sections of the Child Passenger Safety Restraint Systems on School Buses National Training (PDF 32.14 MB) as an enhancement resource for trainers and attendees of this course.
INTENDED AUDIENCE
Pupil Transportation Administrators and Supervisors, school bus drivers, and school bus monitors who transport very young children including preschoolers, Head Start students, and infants.
See School Bus Safety YouTube Playlist for all videos.
Public Downloads
All items are free to view, share, and download.
Public Downloads - Español (Spanish)
When available, we provide all our content with a Spanish version in our public download section. You can find additional material from sources listed in all our articles.
