Last week, a second-grader in Pennsylvania was hit by a vehicle while waiting at the bus stop and died. The bus driver found him when the bus arrived at the stop. It was the fifth time in three days that vehicles injured or killed students at a bus stop.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over 50 percent of students in the United States take the bus to school. If your child takes the bus to school, it is important to educate them on bus stop safety to keep them safe in light of recent tragedies. The following are five safety tips to keep your child safe at the bus stop:
- Walk them to the stop: Walk your child to the bus stop, and if possible, do the same home after school. If your schedule does not allow it, ask around to see if there are any other parents that can watch your child. If that still is not an option, help them make a bus buddy and have the two of them keep any eye on each other while waiting at the bus.
- Reflective clothing: Have them wear bright or reflective clothing while waiting for the bus and once they get off the bus at the end of the day. This will help drivers to see them in the morning and evening hours when it is not as bright outside.
- 10-foot rule: Teach them to wait 10 feet away from the road and walk 10 feet in front of the bus whenever they cross the street. The general rule is that a child should stand over six feet away from the street, but it is better to be safe than sorry.
- Eye contact with drivers: Have your child make eye contact with the bus driver and any other drivers they see before crossing the street, and make sure they never walk behind the bus.
- Look both ways: Even though you think they should know it, make sure they get in the habit of looking both ways when they cross the road. This seems like it should be the easiest rule to remember, but it is also the easiest one to forget when they are excited to get home at the end of the day.
Sadly, even if your child follows all these rules, drivers can still be negligent and fail to follow the rules of the road. If a motor vehicle injures your child at a bus stop, let a personal injury attorney help you hold the negligent party accountable.
