National Express Corporation named the four students who won the company’s 2014 Safety Poster Contest that highlights the diligent work performed each day by not only the company’s school bus drivers but all those across North America. NEC is the owner of Durham School Services and Petermann in the U.S. as well as Stock Transportation in Canada.
The winning injury prevention poster from Richmond Hill, Ontario.
The four students each won $1,000. Blue Bird, Bridgestone, Mansfield Oil and Seon helped sponsor this year’s contest.
Addressing the problem of students forgotten on the bus by their drivers at the conclusion of a route, Olga Reyes from Holyoke, Massachusetts won for her poster “Don’t Leave Anyone Behind” that depicts a student sleeping on a bench seat. Students, especially the younger ones, are apt to take naps on the bus, especially during longer routes. The procedure for drivers upon returning the bus to the district yard is to walk the length of the bus and scan each seat for students, backpacks, lunchboxes or other items before retiring for the evening.
A student left behind on the bus is often grounds for termination in some school districts because children left to alone to the elements can be seriously injured, or worse, if exposed to severe weather.
“Your Cargo is Precious” is the message of Lucy Wittenberg’s winning poster in the pre- and post-trip category. The Minnesota City, Minnesota student sketched a little mouse standing at the bus stop telling the driver “Their lives are in your hands” as the bus appears to suffer a flat tire. Checking tire pressure is among the duties drivers should perform before beginning a route to ensure the bus is in the best operating condition.
First place in the defensive driving category went to Stefan Mitev of Baltimore, as his poster shows a bus driver encountering an oncoming vehicle, a girl walking her dog, a mother and son crossing from one side of the road and a person in a wheelchair crossing from the other side. They all call out to the driver to “Watch me,” a caution even echoed by a stop light. The mom also says, “Communicate.” The driver answers, “Of course! Sure!”
“Seasonal Safety Awareness” by Kathy Henderson in Richmond Hill, Ontario won the injury prevention category with her reminder that “Safety is Above All” no matter the season and type of clothing needed by the weather elements.
“Safety is the top priority for all of our employees, and it is foremost in our minds as we do our jobs every day,” said Michele McDermott, senior vice president of safety. “This poster contest highlights our commitment to safety throughout the organization. The poster submissions we received this year were amazing and each demonstrated a different aspect of safety.”
The winning child-check poster from Holyoke, Massachusetts.
The winning defensive driving poster from Baltimore.
