The North Carolina State Board of Education announced it has implemented changes to school bus safety policies to make crossing conditions safer for students who ride the school bus.
Under the new policies, effective Jan. 1, 2016, school bus drivers will be required to use a series of hand signals to let students know when it is safe to cross the street. First, drivers will hold their palm up to face the students, which means to wait. Once it is safe to cross, the driver will give students a thumbs-up. Then, the driver will point his/her index finger in the direction students should cross. The board drew from national guidelines, safety standards and best practices used throughout the country to develop the new procedure.
The Board said in a statement that one of the reasons for this change is the fact that five North Carolina students were injured during the past school year by motorists that illegally passed stopped school buses . The board also stated that since 1998 a total of 13 students were killed in illegal passing incidents.
According to research by the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCDPI), most school bus-related student injuries and deaths are a result of illegal passing.
“We have over 15 years of data to show that more than 3,000 cars per day are not going to stop. If we’ve got that information, then we know public awareness alone can’t be enough to reverse this behavior, especially with more distractions out there on the road,” said Derek Graham, section chief of the NCDPI, School Transportation Services. “The revised policy represents a more proactive approach to what bus drivers and students can do to stay safe even when other motorists don’t adhere to the law.”
Some parts of the policy were piloted by the Washington County Schools (WCPS) in April. Drivers were trained during spring break and began implementing the new policy when classes resumed.
“When this new system was announced, I was anxious for Washington County to try it because I believe that it’s a safer system,” said Wesley Stokes, the district’s director of transportation. “After our training, I followed the buses to see how it went, and it worked immediately. Even though the kids hadn’t been trained yet, when they saw the hand signal, I saw them stop right in their tracks and wait until the student transporter signaled to cross.”
After the introduction to the system, drivers as well as teachers made sure to review the hand signals with students. Drivers also had follow-up discussions with the students, as necessary.
In order to ease the transition for school districts, the NCDPI said it will provide guidance on instruction and implementation of the new policies. The North Carolina State Board of Education currently requires safety training for students twice a year, but under the new policies all students, not just those who ride the bus, will receive training that must be documented by each district.
