National School Bus Safety Week: Prevention Page 2

By Anne Fleming

Anne Fleming

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National School Bus Safety Week: Prevention
Lets talk about something that is near and dear to every Road Warriors heart proper etiquette... Read More

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Technology based prevention programs are viable alternatives to prosecution-based models. School Bus Safety Week is the ultimate prevention approach because it is the one time during the school year when the nations focus in on school bus safety and everyone talks about its importance. The theme this year is Avoid Harm, Obey the Stop Arm. A lot is done during one week to support the year round efforts of school districts and bus drivers. Law enforcement is out en masse riding buses and following them in police cars to make sure motorists obey the law, and motorists comply because they actually see police cars Prevention. News organizations focus on the issue of school bus safety, children participate in poster contests and for the most part, we are inundated with a school bus safety information blitz. And this is a good thing. Unfortunately, however, the euphoria dissipates after a few weeks and things return to normal. Most of the activities involving law enforcement are too expensive to be sustained and after the holidays, we tend to forget.

Meanwhile, we can all contribute to a solution by driving more carefully around school buses. All societal improvements begin with the individual. Work through your school district to assess the problem and offer your assistance there. All efforts in contacting lawmakers should be coordinated and in support of your school district. Study laws in other states and compare them to yours. Adopt the best aspects of each law. My suggestion would be to study the laws in Arkansas, Rhode Island and North Carolina. Parents can check out the NHTSA Website, School Transportation news, National Association for Pupil Transportation, National School Transportation Association, School Bus Information Council, American School Bus Council, and your state Education Department for starters. You will find the links to a number of other sites to learn anything you want to know about school bus safety. The Kansas State Department of Education publishes an annual report called The Annual School Bus Loading and Unloading Survey. Reading this report will make you way smarter.

Remember: Getting an education should not be a life-threatening experience. When we lose a child, we lose a tomorrow.   

With thanks to contributing writer and difference maker, Mr. Art Gissendaner, who has researched and monitored school bus safety for five years. Art can be reached at artgiss@cox.net.  

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