Death at the school bus stop - what happens, how it happens and how to help prevent it

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More kids die at their bus stop, many run over by their own school bus, than die in the 55,000 school bus crashes that occur in the United States each year. 2safeschools looks at how parents and school staff can help prevent death at the school bus stop.

First published by 2safeschools, original story title, DEATH AT THE SCHOOL BUS STOP - WHAT HAPPENS, HOW IT HAPPENS AND HOW TO HELP PREVENT IT, by James Kraemer, published October 07, 2000, Copyright ©2000 by 2safeschools, All Rights Reserved. Can be reprinted by giving credit to 2safeschools

By James Kraemer
National - The school bus stop is by far the most dangerous part of the trip for children traveling back and forth to school on America's school buses. Four out of every five children killed in a school bus related incident were killed while in the process of boarding or departing their school bus, according to the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute.

When kids ignore, disobey or are mistrained in safe practices at their bus stop or while crossing the road to board or depart their bus, these children risk themselves and others becoming a part of the growing list of children permanently injured or killed at the bus stop.

Children walking in front of the bus, so close to the bus that the driver can not see the child, or walking along side the bus are two major causes of children run over by their own bus. Kids late to their bus stop running across the road to catch their bus, or dashing back across the road after departing their bus, also risk death from motorists as well as the bus they are chasing.

NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK October 15 - 21, 2000

Another increasing risk is the easy prey children left unsupervised provide child predators, gangs, when kids at their own bus stop act out toward each other and the sometimes fatal encounters with motorists.

Keeping kids safe at the bus stop starts before the bus arrives. Just as the well trained bus driver (an adult) is the most effective safety device on the school bus, this is also the case when transportation departments establish safe bus stop locations and parents are present at the bus stops. Many of the safety issues, especially child abductions, virtually evaporate when appropriate locations are established and effective adult supervision is present.

Student behavior on the bus, prior to arrival at the bus stop, is also critical to helping keep kids safe when students are boarding and departing their bus. Student behavior must not be so out-of-control on the bus that the behavior interferes with the driver's concentration.

• Of the 55,000 school bus crashes occurring every year in the United States, 30 percent are attributed to driver distraction, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

Three times as many pupils are killed outside the bus at bus stops as are on the inside, by crashes. Two-thirds of the time, the child is run over by his or her own bus. One-half the students killed by the school bus are struck from the front and the remainder are struck by the side or rear of the bus, according to CNN.

The bus driver must concentrate on what is happening out side the bus at bus stops. Any distraction from the bus driver's task at the bus stop can result in a sudden and unchangeable tragedy. Training students on the bus to remain seated, talk quietly, stay out of the bus aisle and to keep hands to self is as important as training kids in safe practices at their bus stops.

Effective training of bus drivers on how to train kids is another critical, yet, often overlooked component toward helping to keep kids safe. Kids can be trained to practice safe conduct, but for parents and school staff to have an effective roll, in helping to establish a safe environment for children, they must have effective information that actually helps keep kids safe. Continue to bus stop rules.

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