Red River County Sheriff

SCHOOL BUS SAFETY

Red River County Sheriff's Office - (903) 427-3838

Lamar County Sheriff's Office - (903) 737-2400

Bus and school Zone Safety

Kids - staying safe on and around the bus

School Bus Safety Video (Student) School Bus Safety Video (Driver)

School bus travel is extremely safe. Although injuries to school bus passengers are rare, they most often happen outside the bus as students are boarding and leaving the bus or crossing the street. Remember these tips:

Be at the school bus stop on time.
Wait in a safe place well back from the edge of the road.
Do not play in ditches or on snowbanks.
Enter the bus in single file holding the hand rail.
Find a seat right away and stay seated facing forward at all times.
Do not place things in the aisle.
Avoid rowdy behavior. Do not throw things or eat or drink.
Keep your arms and head inside the bus.

Never distract the bus driver. Always follow his or her instructions.
When you leave the bus, move away from the side. If you can touch the bus, you are too close.
If you drop something near the bus, never try to pick it up because its quite likely the bus driver can't see you. Ask an adult or the driver to help.

When school is opening in the morning and closing in the afternoon, the area around the school is a very busy and crowded. There will be many children using the crosswalk.
Car drivers, bikers and in-line skaters must stop to allow people in the crosswalk to cross the street.
It is important to look carefully to the left, right and left again if you have to cross the street.

When you are waiting for the school bus, you should wait at the bus stop, and stand well back from the curb.

When you get off the bus:

Look to the rear of the bus before you step off the bottom step. Motorists sometime pass a stopped school buses on the right shoulder - where the door is.
Take (five giant steps) straight out the bus door, and out of the danger zone.
Make sure you have eye contact with the driver, and wait for the driver to signal you before you cross in front of the bus.
Never go back for anything you have left on the bus.
Never bend down near or under the bus.

Walking near school

When school is opening in the morning and closing in the afternoon, it is a busy and crowded area.
There are children being dropped off or picked up by both school buses and parents.
It is important to look carefully to the left, right and left again if you have to cross the street.
If you must walk through parked traffic, stop and look carefully before stepping out from between vehicles.
Remember the danger areas around school buses where the driver can't see you.
Don't run between parked cars and buses.
Don't run across the street or through a parking lot trying to catch up with your friends.

School Bus Behavior

Detroit ISD has a school bus behavior policy. Your bus driver's number one interest is your safety. He or she will ask you to be on your best behavior.

It is important to listen to your bus driver in case there are any special instructions for your bus ride.
Sit quietly in your seat.
Speak quietly to the other children near you.

Do not jump up and down, fight or tease other passengers or make a lot of noise. These activities can bother your bus driver and he or she will not be able to give proper attention to driving.

These behaviors can bother any driver, including your family or a friend's family, and make it hard to drive safely.

Clothing can get caught

Jacket and sweatshirt drawstrings, backpack straps, scarves and loose clothing may get caught on the bus handrail or door. This is not only a danger while getting on or off the bus, but could happen any place on the bus.

Why no seat belts?

Very few injuries happen in school buses. Instead of requiring seat belts, school buses are designed and constructed differently from passenger cars. School buses protect passengers through "compartmentalization", a design that includes:

Seats with high backs;
Seats filled with energy-absorbing material;
Seats placed close together to form compartments;
Strong seat anchorages.

Studies have shown that adding seat belts to the current seating configuration of a school bus can increase the chance of head and neck injuries. For a seat belt to be effective, it must be worn correctly, snug and on the upper thighs. Because school vehicles carry passengers from the very young to high school students, if seat belts were used, they would need to be readjusted and their use monitored. A seat belt not worn correctly may cause serious injuries. Pre-School children are required to wear seat belts on a school bus. Detroit ISD added seatbelts to a certain number of seats to provide extra safety to pre-k children. Detroit ISD has a bus monitor on every bus to help make sure our children are safe.

Parents - what makes a school bus safe

Buses be driven by specially-trained, licensed drivers with good driving records. School buses must meet safety standards established by the Department of Transportation. Standards include: