Whether you have children who ride the school bus or you do not, it is always a good idea to be aware of the school bus routes in your neighborhood as well as on your daily commute. You do not need to be a parent to know bus safety. All drivers should know the rules of the road when it comes to school buses. Here are some reminders for you.
When a school bus is present, it is very likely that there will also be pedestrians present as well. In a lot of cases, those pedestrians will be small children waiting to board their school bus. Even if those kids are the best mannered, wonderful children in the world, they can still forget about bus safety. It is important for us as adults to be extra cautious in case one of those children accidentally goes into the road, runs across the street before looking for traffic, or does something else that could cause an accident. Drive cautiously when you are near a school bus.
If that school bus slows down and turns on its yellow blinking lights, that means it is about to stop at a school bus stop. When those lights turn from yellow to red, the bus will be opening its doors for passengers to enter or exit. You as a driver should be completely stopped within a safe distance from the bus. You must wait until the bus turns off its red lights to progress. Even then, you should be cautious of students walking away from the bus stop.
If you find yourself stuck behind a school bus on its route to or from school, you may want to find a different way to get where you need to go the next time. If you can avoid school buses, you will be avoiding potential accidents that could happen. Stay safe out there this school year!
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