When the weather turns beautiful outside, we as school bus drivers see an increase of caretakers at the bus stops with the rider’s younger siblings in tow. This is a good time for the caretakers to greet the kids as they embark or disembark the school bus.
We should all have the training in place to know that we do not move our buses until all students are accounted for outside the bus and are a safe distance of before we move our buses.
Knowing and practicing that, in addition to our students, we now have their younger siblings present at the bus stops. Should we do a head count with those children as well? If it is a small group and you’re capable of doing that, then yes!
Yet, at times, there are large crowds waiting to retrieve students from our buses. There may be too many to count. What do we do in these situations? What about the strollers that are ever present? We don’t know if the child inside has stayed put or climbed out into that space underneath our buses to play or hide. Have you ever heard the phrase ‘having the faith of a child’? They are capable of running head on into danger and not knowing the consequences.
After all, these toddlers have watched school buses with excitement and fascination since they could remember. The bus is ‘kid-friendly’ to them. Day in and day out, they see the same kids safely get on and get off the bus. It must be a playground of sorts, right?
What could we do as drivers to make these types of situations safer?
As we approach our bus stop, we should evaluate and acknowledge the situation that is present at that stop. If there are toddlers and strollers waiting for the disembarking students, we of course continue to do everything that we have always done: the head count when students exited our buses and again when they are outside our buses. Parents, at times, will speak to us at the service door area. There’s that distraction that is ever present while performing our duties.
When it’s time for us to pull away from that stop, child placements have changed while you were distracted and engaged in that brief conversation with that caretaker. Everything that was present now ‘appears’ to be a safe distance away from the bus. You checked your mirrors and all seems to be clear and safe to move that bus. But wait! There were many toddlers and strollers there! As bus drivers, we can’t physically see underneath our buses.
Be mindful while we are looking and focusing our attention to the right side of the bus. A toddler can cross the street and go to the left side of our buses without our knowledge, and they can be killed underneath the wheels. We should never assume that the caretakers know or have all their children in their presence.
There have been unfortunate incidents in the past where toddlers have crept underneath our buses without our knowledge or that of the caretakers. These incidents have ended with the child being killed. They are devastating incidents that can be avoided and here’s what we can do to change this:
Before we leave a bus stop, ask one of those responsible adults to check underneath the bus and make sure all is clear and children are accounted for. If there were strollers present and you can’t see if the child is still occupying it, ask an adult to be sure of it before you move that bus. If something inside you isn’t at peace with the situation, secure that bus and check it yourself until you are completely satisfied. This is your only chance. We only have one. As school bus drivers, we are the ‘captains of our ships’ and we are in constant battle with the ‘enemies’ of this industry. The enemies are motorists, blind spots on buses, danger zones around the bus, improper mirror adjustments and multiple distractions
Keep this in mind: every single time a child walks through the door of their home, it is because their school bus driver delivered them there safe and sound.
~When we’re safe minded, we save lives~
Victoria DeCarlo is a school bus driver at Lake Shore Central Schools in Angola, New York and is the creator of the STEFFI Crosser.
