Blog

School Bus Safety Tips For Parents

As another school year begins, the reminder of the importance of bus safety hits the minds of parents.

This reminder was even greater this year in the Toledo area as there were three bus accidents just as the year began.

Bus safety is a very important issue for parents to review with their children. As children walk to the bus stop, there is potential for an accident around every corner – literally.

 Our personal injury lawyers believe that by sharing tips and advice for parents through our blog, we can hopefully spur some safety conversations in the household and prevent preventable bus accidents from occurring.

Related: Washington Local School Bus Accident

School Bus Safety

The concern for safety does not only exist when a child is in route to the bus stop, but also when they are on the bus and exiting it. We have outlined some safety tips for parents to share with their children below.

If you are a parent of a young school child who rides the bus, be sure to highlight the below for bus stop safety:

• It is important to walk to the bus stop and not run – this allows the child to have more focus on their surrounding and motorists to have more time to react
• Always use the sidewalk if available – this reduces the likelihood of a dangerous car-pedestrian collision
• Wait in an area of the bus stop that is away from traffic – stay out of the line of traffic and only go to the curb when the bus has arrived
• Only begin to board the bus when the lights are flashing – this makes it safe to board the bus as it is in park and surrounding vehicles following traffic laws should yield for the bus as wel
• Look left, right, and left again when crossing the road – always being aware of your surroundings is critical to prevent a car-pedestrian accident at the bus stop

The below tips are also very important to the safety of your child as they exit the bus:

• Only exit the bus at the designated stop – do not exit the bus at another child’s designated stop
• Always walk when exiting the bus – this prevents the likelihood of trips, falls, and coming into contact with traffic
• Do not try to return to the bus after exiting – if the child left something on board and attempts to board the bus again, there’s a chance the driver will fail to see the child and the bus could move; tell your child if they forget something, they can retrieve it the following day
• Do not pick up an item that has fallen near the bus – it is very dangerous to try to pick something up that might be near or below the bus; the bus driver may not see you as your below the bus and could potentially move the bus from park and cause serious injury

School Bus Accidents in Ohio

While the above tips focus on the safety of a child as they board and exit a bus, the school bus accidents that occurred in the Toledo area recently were a result of traffic violations or a failure to maintain control of the vehicle. We would advise any parent whose child is injured in a school bus accident to contact a personal injury lawyer.  Accidents involving schools and municipalities like this can be somewhat confusing so it is always best to consult an experienced personal injury lawyer if you find yourself and your child in this situation.

To speak to a personal injury lawyer at the Charles E. Boyk Law Office, call 800.637.8170. If you believe that your child may have a personal injury case due to injuries sustained in a school bus accident, you will be able to review the case with our lawyers and learn the legal steps that you should take. You can also order the free legal resource, Little Kids, Big Accidents for more information on child personal injury accidents and the legal process involved.