The California Department of Education recognizes the entire month of October as School Bus Safety Awareness Month, and districts across the state are doing likewise.
On Sept. 7, Nikki Hughes, president of the California Association of School Transportation Officers, signed a resolution supporting efforts by the state senate and assembly as well as the California Highway Patrol to recognize the yellow bus. About 26,000 school buses operate in the state, transporting more than 1 million students each school day.
The CASTO resolution states that October brings the highest rate of accidents involving school buses than any other time of the year. It also says that the safety of students is reliant upon trained school bus drivers, who work shifts of up to six or seven hours a day, as well as the motoring public.
“While the school year is in session, it is important for California motorists take extra precautions to drive carefully and observe proper road rules around schools and school buses,” the resolution reads.
Tell us what you’re doing in celebration of School Bus Safety Awareness this month.
Fontana Unified School Distict east of Los Angeles has a page on its website dedicated to California School Bus Safety Awareness Month. The district points out that, according to the National Safety Council, yellow buses are 172 times safer for students than riding in their family automobile. School buses are also eight times safer than passenger trains and commercial airliners and four times safer than transit buses and intercity buses.
National School Bus Safety Week is celebrated Oct 21-25 by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and will be a highlight of the coming NAPT Annual Summit and NASDPTS Annual Conference held in Grand Rapids, Mich., starting this coming weekend.
