NHTSA Releases School Transportation Safety Tips Amid Rising Bus Stop Fatalities

As student’s nationwide head back to school this week, federal safety officials have issued new guidelines designed to improve safety for children and young adults during their daily commute, as part of an effort to address the rising number of bus stop fatalities and other school transportation injuries seen in recent years.

The U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released the school transportation safety tips on August 14, to remind all drivers to watch out for children on U.S. roadways, as students start their commutes to and from school again while riding on buses, walking, biking or driving.

Together with the safety tips, the NHTSA also released new data, which highlights the importance of all drivers remaining vigilant and following all traffic laws, indicating that more than 1,000 people lost their lives in crashes involving school transportation between 2013 and 2022, with 198 of those fatalities involving children aged 18 and under.

Among the children killed in school transportation accidents, the federal regulators indicate that 40% were traveling as passengers in other vehicles, 38% were pedestrians, 18% were in school buses, 3% were bicyclists, and 1% were using personal devices, such as skateboards, scooters or wheelchairs.

School Transportation Safety Recommendations

According to the NHTSA, riding the school bus is the safest way for children to travel to and from school. However, there are dangers for children while boarding or departing the bus, which can be prevented.

The acronym SAFE, published in the safety tips, calls for children boarding and departing school buses to:

• Stay five steps away from the curb
• Always wait for the bus driver to tell you to board
• Face forward after finding a seat on the bus
• Exit the bus only when it is stopped and instruction is given by the bus driver.

For students riding their bikes to school, drivers are reminded to always give cyclists plenty of space on the road, avoid passing too closely, and check all directions—left, right and behind—before turning right on red. The NHTSA notes it is important to yield to bicyclists just as you would to other motorists, and to not underestimate their speed.

In addition, parents should teach their children to always wear a properly fitted helmet with the chin strap securely fastened, use bike lanes or paths whenever available, ride in the same direction as traffic while obeying all traffic signs and signals, and avoid using electronics while riding.

When it comes to pedestrian safety for children, drivers must remain vigilant at all times, especially in school zones and neighborhoods, adhering to speed limits and exercising extra caution in low-visibility conditions, such as at night or in bad weather.

Parents should accompany children under 10, and teach them to use sidewalks whenever possible or walk on the street’s edge facing traffic if no sidewalk is available. Additionally, children should be told to only cross streets at marked crosswalks, always look left-right-left before crossing, avoid playing, pushing, or shoving near traffic, and stay alert by putting away phones while walking.

For teen drivers, parents should model safe driving habits and remind their teens to put the phone away to avoid distractions, limit the number of passengers in the car, ensure everyone is buckled up before driving, and adhere to posted speed limits.

The NHTSA also highlighted the importance of child car seat and vehicle safety, indicating that drivers must ensure children are protected by using the correct car seat for their age and size, making sure it is installed properly, and always placing children 13 years old and younger in the back seat.

Parents are also being reminded to never leave a child alone in a vehicle, even for a moment, and to take immediate action by calling 911 if they see a child left alone in a vehicle. Additionally, parked vehicles should be kept locked, with keys out of reach to prevent children from getting inside and becoming trapped.

For more information on Back-to-School Safety, visit NHTSA.gov/BacktoSchool, and for Teen Driving Safety, visit NHTSA.gov/TeenDriving.