The National School Bus Safety Poster Contest is open (October 1, 2024-April 1, 2025). Details for submissions, K-12, can be found at this link.
- Children are most at risk of danger when approaching or leaving a school bus, due to the oncoming traffic around the stopped bus.
- Drivers should allow extra room between their vehicle and the bus, to allow students to safely cross the street, board or get off the bus.
- Never attempt to pass a stopped bus, even when they are facing the opposite direction on the street.
- It is illegal to pass a bus with the stop-arm extended and lights flashing.
- Yellow lights indicate the bus is preparing to stop to load or unload children. As a driver, you should give the bus extra space.
- Red lights and an extended stop-arm indicate the bus is stopped and has children actively loading or unloading. DO NOT PASS, just because you can’t see the child. You must stop your vehicle and wait for the lights to stop flashing. The bus must be moving again before you start moving your vehicle.
Talk to your child.
- The student should wait until the bus is at a complete stop with the door open, before approaching to load.
- A child should not stand at the bus doors to anticipate getting off the bus. The student should remain seated until the bus is at a complete stop, at his/her stop.
- Children should always walk in front (never behind) of the school bus to cross the street after exiting the bus. Before crossing, the student should pause to look both ways for traffic that may have failed to stop and may be coming around the bus.
- Students waiting for a bus to pick them up should stay away from the street. Best practice is to stay ten feet or five big steps away from the road while waiting on the bus.