About two dozen prospective kindergarten students and their families in Alberta learned how to ride the school bus safely during Pembina Hills School Division’s annual Meet the Bus event, reported Town and County Today News.
According to the news report, the orientation was held Aug. 18 in the student parking lot at Barrhead Composite High School. It was designed to familiarize first-time riders with the school bus and ease any nervousness they might experience before the school year begins.
Transportation assistant Cindy Knapp reportedly said the longtime event gives children an opportunity to become comfortable with the bus in a welcoming environment.
During the event, students and their parents reportedly learned how to wait for and board a school bus safely, as well as how students are expected to behave while riding.
Jeanette Williams, who has driven the Fort Assiniboine school bus for more than 30 years, told attendees that children should remain where the driver can see them. She warned students not to stand too close to the bus or enter one of the vehicle’s blind spots.
“When you get onto the bus, you want to use the handrails and sit down in a seat as soon as you can,” Williams said via the article. “Never stand up and walk around. That’s not safe.”
Williams also addressed why the school bus was not equipped with seatbelts. She explained that its closely spaced, high-backed seats are designed to protect riders through compartmentalization. “The seats are designed and constructed in such a way that they are even safer than if they had seat belts, which is why you need to keep your arms and legs inside the seat,” Williams said via the report.
Editor’s Note — While compartmentalization of students using federally regulated high-back and cushioned seats works in front and rear crashes, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board investigations show a lack of protection in side-impact and roll-over crashes.
Parents were reportedly instructed to ensure their children arrive at their assigned bus stops at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive. Williams said routes are planned to allow approximately 30 seconds for each student to board, making punctuality important.
The event concluded with students and their families taking a short bus ride around Barrhead. They then returned to the high school, where snacks were provided.
The ride gave future students an opportunity to practice what they had learned while becoming acquainted with an experience that will soon be part of their daily school routine.
Written with the assistance of AI.
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