By Casey Curtis
Leader Staff Writer
With just over two months of school gone by, many drivers are getting used to seeing the yellow and black school buses lining the roads.
Some, though, are not well-informed on the exact safety precautions to take when a school bus is picking up or dropping off children.
October 16-22 was National Bus Safety Week, and to help teach kids about being cautious the Oxford Department of Transportaion visted all of the elementary schools to teach children how to be safe.
According to the Michigan State Police’s Motor Carrier Division Bus Inspection Unit, approximately 17,800 school vehicles in Michigan transport more than 850,000 children each school day and travel nearly 10 million miles a year.
That’s why it’s important for children and drivers to know these saftey tips:
nDon’t run to the school bus
nGet to the bus stop early
nDon’t horse around or push people at the bus stop.
nStand away from the street.
nStay seated the entire time you’re on the bus.
nDo not yell. It distracts the driver.
nIf you drop something under the bus, don’t go for it yourself. Have the bus driver get it for you.
nAsk your bus driver about emergency exit plans and be sure you know where the nearest door is.
And for drivers…
nPrepare to stop when a slowing bus has its overhead yellow lights flashing.
nCome to a complete stop at least 20 feet away from the bus when its overhead red lights are flashing.
nProceed with caution when the hazard warning lights, located near the headlights, are flashing.
Carol Anderson, a bus driver for Oxford schools said these tips are important for both children and parents.
‘We teach the kindergarteners through second graders every year so they can get aquainted with all the rules on the school bus,? she said.
In the next couple of weeks, Anderson said bus drivers in the district will be teaching their passengers about emergency evacuations from the bus.