From October 21-25, IDEA Public Schools will be celebrating National School Bus Safety Week. Our Transportation team will be joining the U.S Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) safety initiative to educate our scholars, staff, and families about the importance of school bus safety. This year’s theme, according to the National Association for Pupil Transportaion (NAPT), is “Driving Safely into the Future”.  

Awareness of School Bus Danger Zones 

Due to the large size of a school bus, it can produce significant blind spots. These spots are known as the “danger zone”, a 10-foot blind spot that surrounds the bus and obstructs the driver’s view. This is what makes the loading and unloading area the most dangerous for our scholars.

Children that are unaware of this blind spot can mistakenly think that because they can see the bus driver, the driver can see them too. To avoid the danger zone, scholars should take five steps back as the school bus approaches. They should also not move towards the bus until it has come to a complete stop and the door has opened. 

Scholar Safety is our Number One Priority 

On average, our bus drivers transport 24,400 students daily. With over 27,000 miles driven across 1,200 routes, our priority is getting our scholars to and from school safely. Here are some things our bus drivers do to ensure safety every ride: 

• Perform pre-trip School Bus Inspections. This includes ensuring all safety equipment works properly, cleaning mirrors, and looking for any possible mechanical concerns. 

• Implement the Smith System while driving. 

• Park bumper to bumper to other buses to prevent students from walking between them. 

• Count scholars when unloading and pay attention to the direction in which they head. 

• Ensure the danger zone is clear prior to moving the bus. 

All this week, Campus Transportation Managers and bus drivers will be sharing information with our scholars to promote awareness. Activities such as coloring sheets and more will be provided as we help all our scholars identify the danger zones during loading and unloading. 

Show your support for National School Bus Safety Week this week & be sure to wear the following colors on these days! 

• Monday October 21: Red for “Stop on Red, Kids Ahead”. 

• Wednesday October 23: Yellow for “When Big Yellow Stops, Everyone Must Stop”. 

School Bus Safety is a shared responsibility and together, we can all do our part in maintaining a safe environment for transportation. For more information on our Transportation, visit here.