ITASCA, IL – The National Safety Council (NSC) is partnering with First Student to share important back-to-school safety information.
Millions of students are heading back to school over the next eight weeks, and tens of thousands of school buses will be on the roads. NSC and First Student said it’s crucial that all motorists understand how to safely share the roads with school buses, pedestrians and bicyclists. It is also a good time for parents and children to talk about how to stay safe at school.
“We are so pleased to partner with the National Safety Council on this back-to-school program,” said Gary Catapano, senior vice president of safety for First Student. “Millions of young people will board school buses and ride to school this fall, and it’s vitally important that students, motorists and parents have the safety information needed to ensure a safe return to class.”
Back-to-school safety encompasses a variety of topics in addition to roadway safety, especially as children load and unload the school bus. NSC and First Student have provided fact sheets and a video covering important safety topics regarding:
- Driving tips for all motorists
- Teen driving safety
- Bus safety
- Pedestrian safety
- Bicycling safety
- Backpack safety
- Playground safety
- School bullying awareness and prevention
“The Council is proud to partner with First Student on this back-to-school safety initiative,” said NSC President and CEO Janet Froetscher. “Research has shown distracted drivers ‘look at’ but fail to ‘see’ up to 50 percent of the driving environment, which can include student pedestrians and bicyclists. The back-to-school season is a good reminder to be responsible drivers as we all share the roads.”
First Student is the largest private school bus operator in North America.
