Know Your Rights
Back to School Means Reviewing School Bus Safety
By Todd A. Smith & Shoshana T. Bookson
With the beginning of the new school year right around the corner, this is the perfect time to review some important lessons that every parent, child, and motorist should know about school bus safety.
School buses are one of the safest modes of transportation. Every year, about 440,000 public school buses move 24 million children to and from school, and most of those trips are safe ones.
But still, according to the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA), an average of 10 school bus passengers are killed each year in crashes.
Surprisingly, that's not the leading cause of death among school bus riders. More
pedestrians-- an average of 31 per year, NHTSA says-- are killed while getting on or off school buses. An average of 23 of those are children struck by the school bus itself, and another eight pedestrians are struck by other vehicles on the road.
And this danger affects the very young. About half of pedestrians killed in school-bus related accidents are between five and seven years old.
Many of these pedestrian accidents occur during bus loading and unloading in what NHTSA calls the buses' "danger zone." This zone comprises the area ten feet in front of the bus, ten feet on each side of the bus, and behind the bus -- a major blind spot for bus drivers.
In order to keep your children safe, NHTSA advises teaching your children these precautions:
* Don't run to catch the bus-- this can cause injury.
* When the bus approaches, stand at least 10 feet (five giant steps to a child) away from the curb off the street, and line up away from the street.
* Wait until the bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says it is OK to step onto the bus.
*If you have to cross the street in front of the bus, walk on the sidewalk, or if there is no sidewalk, along the road to a point at least five giant steps ahead of the bus before you cross. Be sure the bus driver can see you and you can see the driver when crossing the street. Stop at the edge of the bus and look left-right-left before crossing.
*Use the stair handrail on the bus, and, when getting off or on, be sure that clothing with drawstrings and bags with straps don't get caught in the handrails or the door.
* Never walk behind a bus.
*Walk at least 10 feet (five giant steps) away from the side of the bus.
*If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver. Never try to pick it up without first talking with the driver, because he/she may not be able to see you.
To see an interactive web site that can help teach your children about school bus safety, click here for NHTSA's site made especially for children.
Todd A. Smith, president of the Association of Trial Lawyers of America, is a partner in the Chicago, IL, law firm of Power Rogers & Smith.
Shoshana T. Bookson, president of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association, is a partner in the New York firm of Shandell, Blitz, Blitz & Bookson, LLP.
