National School Bus Safety Week 2021

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 19: The Numbers

According to a recent survey by the Kansas State Department of Education, 75% of school bus stop arm fatalities occurred during the month of October. Additionally, 73% of loading and unloading fatalities happened to students nine years or younger.

In Florida alone, 13,640 vehicles illegally passed school buses in one day in 2019.

Behind each statistic, we hear a school bus driver helplessly screaming at the careless motorist speeding past the school bus. We see the fear in the eyes of the student who narrowly escapes the path of an oncoming vehicle. We feel the pain of the family receiving the call that their child has been struck by a vehicle.

These truths illustrate the importance of National School Bus Safety Week and our collective effort to properly educate drivers and bring awareness to our communities so that with each ride to and from school our children remain safe all year long.

Video Series: GHSA Programs & Member Services Director, Kerry Chasumer

National School Bus Safety Week serves as a crucial reminder to all drivers, legislators, and communities that school bus-related tragedies are preventable. Together, we can protect our community, families, and children by ALWAYS STOPPING for the stop-arm.

Share on social! NSBSW2021 Video Series: GHSA Programs & Member Services Director, Kerry Chasumer: https://youtu.be/MzvZ64wCvxQ

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 20: The Trends

Research around the country indicates the prevalence of drivers who dangerously and illegally pass a stopped school bus. This further highlights the technology available to communities across the United States that can be implemented to put an end to school bus stop-arm running. School bus stop-arm safety cameras detect when a vehicle illegally passes an extended stop-arm and captures video and still images of the vehicle and its license plate. Typically, 99 percent of drivers who receive and pay a ticket for illegally passing a school bus do not receive a second violation, according to Verra Mobility data. This indicates the success that school bus safety cameras are having in changing driver behavior and keeping kids safe.

2019 Trends: School Bus Stop-Arm Passing Survey Results

Nine years of annual survey results by the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services show drivers routinely ignore school bus stop arm signs. In a single day during the 2019-20 school year, more than 131,000 school bus drivers in 39 states, including the District of Columbia counted nearly 95,500 vehicles illegally passing their school buses. Stretched out over a full school year, this one-day count amounts to more than 17 million illegal needlessly dangerous maneuvers nationwide.

Video Series: Glen Enstice, Assistant Director, Brevard Public Schools

In Brevard County, approximately 270 school bus drivers transport 24,000 students along 272 bus routes to and from school each week. To address the growing problem of illegal school bus passing, Brevard Public Schools has partnered with traffic safety advocates across the country to remind drivers to STOP for the school bus stop-arm. 

Join us by sharing school bus safety tips using the #NSBSW2021!

Share on social! NSBSW2021 Video Series: Glen Enstice, Assistant Director, Brevard Public Schools: https://youtu.be/AI52rjSVHJE

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 21: Safety Tips

More than 25 million children ride the yellow bus every school day. National School Bus Safety Week serves as a reminder for students, parents, teachers, and the community to keep school bus safety at the forefront.

Here are tips for motorists to help keep our children safe at the bus stop:

• • Expect the unexpected when kids are walking to and from a bus stop or crossing to enter or exit the bus. For example, kids under 10 years old can’t judge the speed of an oncoming vehicle and may suddenly dart into the street.
  • Slow down. Look for children walking or riding in the street, especially if there are no sidewalks in the neighborhood. Remember, children do not easily estimate vehicle speeds and often misjudge when it is safe to cross the street when a vehicle is approaching.
  • Learn and obey the school bus laws in your state. Obey the “flashing signal light system” that school bus drivers use to alert motorists of what’s about to happen.
  • Red flashing lights and extended stop arms indicate that the bus has stopped and that children are getting on or off. Motorists must stop their cars and wait until the red lights stop flashing, the extended stop sign is withdrawn, and the bus begins moving before they can start driving again.

Video Series: Titusville Fire and Police Department

We have a profound obligation to ensure that all our students arrive at and leave school safely. Join us in recognizing National School Bus Safety Week by being safe around school buses, each and every day.

Share your safety tips using #NSBSW2021

Share on social! NSBSW2021 Video Series: Titusville Fire and Police Department: https://youtu.be/Cw8qHGnttgI

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22: Know the Laws – Be heard

Law enforcement is unable to shadow every school bus and ensure drivers abide by the rules. This is why parents, school bus drivers, and school district officials are thinking outside the bus with new legislation, new public awareness efforts, and the use of new technologies like school bus stop-arm safety cameras to ensure motorists obey traffic safety laws and stop for school buses. 

To add your voice, contact your school district and legislators. They are listening. Traffic laws require drivers to stop when a school bus stops to accommodate children. Help your school district encourage motorists to obey the law and protect our children.

Don’t know the laws in your state? Find them at: https://www.drive-safely.net/school-bus-laws/

Video Series: Space Coast Transportation

It happens in a flash. A student steps off their school bus drops a piece of paper and runs after it into traffic. The passing car — that should have stopped — begins the tragic story.

This inexcusable behavior endangers the lives of children, some of whom are no bigger than the backpacks they carry. Remember, children do not easily estimate vehicle speeds and often misjudge when it is safe to cross the street when a vehicle is approaching. Join us in spreading the message of school bus safety by sharing your safety tips and using the hashtag #NSBSW2021

Share on social! NSBSW2021 Video Series: Space Coast Transportation https://youtu.be/6eESg4hxZ9E