Are you sure your school buses will be safe for children to travel when the schools reopen again?
The Coronavirus that has brought the world to a standstill is spread through air and contact.
One of the worst facts about the COVID-19 virus is its ability to spread at such a fast rate. Second, children are even more susceptible to this deadly virus. Both these facts make it very important to ensure that you don’t just “clean” the school buses, but completely “sanitize” them.
How to Clean, Sanitize, and Disinfect School Bus?
Before we look into ways to sanitize the bus, let’s first identify the high contamination areas.
They are places on the buses where children are most likely to be holding on to. The stability bars that run through the middle of the bus, the handlebars on the back of the seat, windows, window ledges, and the seats.
The other areas are headrests, seatbelts, luggage racks, door handles, and armrests.
Each surface is made of different materials and may have the virus for different stretches of time. So, it is important to do a deep sanitization of these high contamination areas.
Clean the Bus
Before you sanitize the bus, you need to first clean the floor and the windows.
While cleaning the floor, preferably use a handheld vacuum cleaner that sucks in the dust rather than a broom that could spread the dust in the air.
If you have a cleaner that works on different surfaces, then you can use it to clean the vinyl seats and window ledges as well.
It would be even better if you install a HEPA filter in the vacuum cleaner to remove microbes and allergens from the surfaces.
You can also use soap and water to wash the floor. But then make sure that there is no waterlogged in the grooves and corners of the floor.
If you’re in a location where the water may not dry out soon, preferably use only the vacuum cleaner.
Wash Fabrics
The bus may have a carpet or a rug on the floor, drapes on the windows, and covers on the seats. Remove all these fabrics and wash them separately in detergent and hot water. You can also add disinfectant during the final rinse. Make sure the fabrics are completely dry before you put them in the bus again.
Clean Air conditioners or Heater vents
If you have installed an air conditioner or heater on the school bus, then carefully clean the vents. First, wipe the vents with a damp cloth to remove the dust and then spray the disinfectant.
Disinfect the surfaces
Now that the basic cleaning is done, the final step is to do a complete sanitization of all the surfaces. While doing this, you need to pay more attention to the high contamination areas.
Use an alcohol-based sanitizer to disinfect all the surfaces. You need to first wipe all the surfaces with a clean cloth dipped in the sanitizer. After that, you can also spray the disinfectant inside the bus.
It is best to sanitize the school bus before and after every trip
You can use 0.1% sodium hypochlorite (bleach) solution for disinfection
While cleaning, always go from the least soiled to the most soiled surface
Wear gloves while sanitizing the bus and discard or wash thoroughly after use
Encourage students to wash their hands with soap/use sanitizer before they climb on the bus
Make sure the students maintain the “social distance” when they’re seated in the bus
Ensure children wear face masks when they get on the bus and keep it on even while they’re traveling
Add the bus sanitization checking option to your school bus tracking software to ensure that this process is not missed
Conclusion
Cleanliness and safety are two important parameters of student transport. Make it mandatory to do a deep sanitization of all your school buses to ensure safe and hygienic transport for your school students.
Students should know how to evacuate a school bus during an emergency, for accidents can happen at any time. Look at these school bus evacuation drills to make them ready.
When we send kids to school, they are left unattended. One such area is a school bus, where they have to be on their own if an emergency occurs while they are on the bus, need to be prepared to exit the buses safely.
For that reason, practicing safety drills for safe evacuation from school buses is an important activity.
Students need to know how to respond at the time of crisis. So we need to prepare them in advance with safety drills. Here are some tips that you can follow to prepare the students for an emergency. It will help them respond quickly.
1) Let them know what kind of situation they might face
Many of us underestimate kids’ wisdom and don’t share vital information with them. It is a big mistake, and no one should do that.
Let them know about the type of situations and accidents they might face when they are on the bus. It will help them paint a picture of the situation in their mind and stay prepared in advance.
Different types of accidents bring different evacuation challenges, and they need to act accordingly.
As an example, if the school bus collides with other cars, then the evacuation challenge will be different from the school bus fire.
Similarly, if the bus falls in a water body, then the evacuation challenge will be different from others. Every student must know what type of problems they might face in an accident and stay mentally prepared for it. It will help them react quickly, and their survival chances in an accident will increase subsequently.
2) Emergency exit
According to the law, every school bus must have multiple emergency exit points, which students can use in case of an emergency.
Generally, every school bus has one emergency exit in the back and one additional exit on the side of the bus.
These exit points should be marked, and students must be aware of this. They should also know how to open these exit points on their own.
In most school buses, the exit points remain temporarily locked for daily operation. A liver mechanism maintains this temporary locking of the exit point.
Students need to pull or slide the lever to open these exit points. Locking those exit points permanently is against the law, and the bus will be considered unfit for student carriage.
Operating any vehicle for student carriage without proper emergency exit is against the law.
If the law enforcement agency found any such vehicle on the road, then they can take appropriate action against the school administration.
3) Safe Exit from the Vehicle
The most common scenario, when the students may have to leave the vehicle, if the bus stopped functioning for any reason, and stopped on a busy road.
It may have been a common scenario that many students may have to face in real life.
In such a situation, all students may have to exit from the vehicle in a composed manner.
Unnecessary shouting may spread confusion and fear. Small students may get traumatized by this. The students have to evacuate the bus from such direction, where traffic is not coming.
Otherwise, oncoming vehicles may collide with the students and cause fatal injuries to them.
After coming out of the bus, all students must remain in one place away from the traffic. The senior students must assist the driver in keeping every student in a safe location.
They must strictly impose discipline and maintain a line for this purpose.
4) Safe Exit after a Vehicle Collision
Another most common incident that happens on the road is a vehicle collision, where a school bus may collide with another vehicle.
This type of accident is not that rare; every year, hundreds of these types of happening on our road. The school must teach the students how to deal with this type of accident.
To protect the students from such an accident, the school needs to ensure that every student must wear a seatbelt when riding the school bus.
The student must know how to open the seatbelt quickly. If any seatbelt gets stuck by the collision force, then the driver needs to use the seatbelt cutter to relieve the student.
If the driver gets injured in this accident, then the senior students need to take charge of the evacuation process, and they need to bring everyone down from the vehicle in a disciplined manner.
5) Safe Exit from a Vehicle Fire
School bus fires can be a very dangerous type of accident. In the past, such accidents have taken the lives of many children.
Not only collision-related accidents can cause vehicle fires. Other minor issues like leakage in the fuel line or faulty electric may cause a vehicle fire.
For this reason, NHTSA has mandated fire extinguishers on every school bus.
The fire extinguishers must be in working condition, so they can be used when needed. The school authority or the school bus driver should check this device regularly and ensure its functional condition.
In the case of a small vehicle fire, it is the first line of defense. With the help of this device, a school bus driver can quickly put off small vehicles on fire.
The first sign of vehicle fire is smoke. If any student notices any smoke, then he should inform the bus driver immediately. Vehicle fire spread very quickly.
Within a couple of minutes, it can engulf the bus. In case of a fire, the driver must prioritize evacuation of the vehicle. Only after evacuating every student from the bus he can extinguish the fire.
The school bus driver and senior students riding the bus must know how to use fire extinguishers.
6) Safe exit from the water
Many times after the accident, a vehicle can get into a waterbody near the road. This type of accident can be fatal for students who don’t know swimming. The water gushes in the vehicle very quickly and drowns it within a couple of minutes.
If a bus goes into a water body, then the front portion of the bus drown first by the weight of the engine. It lifts the back portion of the bus. The driver needs to open the back door immediately and evacuate all students from the back of the bus.
The driver may need to take help from senior students who can swim and evacuate the bus as quickly as possible. Many school practices this school bus evacuation drills regularly. Regular exercise of this drill can save many lives on the road.
7) Use of First aid kit
According to the law, every school bus must have a first aid kit. It is the first line of defense.
A first aid kit can give temporary relief from the burn, cut, sprains, and strains. The kit generally includes sterile gauze pads, bandages, anesthetic lotion, wrapping gauze, sterile gloves, scissors, tweezers, safety pins, etc.
These items can be beneficial in treating the wound until medical services arrive at the situation.
The student and the driver must know how to use these items and give first-aid properly.
They must be trained to stop bleeding, apply a bandage on the wound, and perform CPR on a person. These activities can save a life in the real world.
8) Drivers Responsibility
Most of the time, the school bus driver is the only adult who operates the vehicle and stays with the students.
Thus, he is responsible for the students by law. His conduct should prioritize student’s safety all the time. The driver should never be intoxicated while operating the vehicle.
He should not be in improper health conditions. He should never be on any medication that reduces mental focus and degrade driving ability.
With any degraded health condition, the driver should stop driving immediately and seek help from other drivers or school authorities.
In case of an accident, if the driver remains harmless, then he is responsible for the safe evacuation of the students.
In such a case, he needs to organize the evacuation process and oversight of the process.
He also needs to put the students in a safe environment until help arrived from the emergency services.
He also needs to establish communication with the emergency service department and seek medical attention from them.
For this purpose, the driver can use a cell phone or two-way radio. Only after arrival and operation of the emergency services, the driver can take relief.
9) Schools Responsibility
The school authority needs to play an active role in ensuring the safety of the students.
They need to conduct school bus evacuation drills with the students and deliver valuable information on this subject.
They also need to take multiple precautions in advance. Here are some steps they need to take.
Appointment of a professional driver: The school authority needs to appoint a licensed driver for regular student transportation purposes. The driver must have a valid license for operating such vehicles. In some states, the driver must have prior experience of operating heavy vehicles before becoming a school bus driver. The law also mandates the driver must not have any criminal record, and the driver needs to be in the proper physical and mental condition during operation. The driver must not consume any alcohol or narcotics a couple of hours before driving.
Supply of operational vehicle: Many schools own their bus fleet, and some schools hire bus fleet from other companies. In both cases, the school authority needs to analyze the drivable condition of the vehicle. The school bus must be fit for the road journey, and it should follow the mandated guidelines of NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). The school authority and the bus company will be liable if these guidelines are not appropriately maintained.
Supply of safety equipment: Every school bus must be equipped with proper safety equipment. Generally, the safety equipment includes a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher, a seatbelt cutter, and a two-way radio for communication. It is the duty of the school authority and the bus companies to provide this safety equipment to every school bus. So they can be used to rescue students in an accident.
Conduct evacuation drills regularly: Many states have mandated the school bus evacuation drill daily. For this reason, most schools need to conduct this drill once or twice a year. This drill gives the students real-life experience of facing a dangerous situation on the road and prepare them for the future.
10) The Assistance of Senior Students
The senior students play a pivotal role in the school bus evacuation drills.
The school needs to prepare these students to assist the driver in the evacuation process.
These seniors students also need to help the driver maintaining discipline among fellow students.
If in an accident, if the driver gets injured, then the senior students need to take charge and rescue everyone on the bus properly.
They must be taught how to use the first aid kit properly so that they can assist in an emergency.
Many schools also teach these students the utilization of different safety equipment like seat belt cutter and fire extinguisher.
So they can rescue other students and put off the fire in the vehicle. In many rural areas, the cell phone doesn’t work, and people still use a two-way radio.
In such places, the student needs to learn how to operate the two-way radio properly, so they can build communication with others and seek help for an emergency.
Conclusion
School bus evacuation drills can be very educational for the students.
In this exercise, they learn about the dangers around them. They also learn how to keep their composure in an emergency and respond according to the situation.
This process makes them a better person and saves lives in an accident or emergency
Most of us remember our school journeys, boarding the yellow school buses. How often had you thought of why the buses were specifically colored that way? What was the significance or historical reasoning behind that yellow color? If you ever wondered to yourself, “why are school buses yellow in color,” then the information shared in this post will certainly quench your thirst for knowledge.
Historical Overview
In the United States of America, there was no standardization in terms of school bus color until 1939. Every school was transporting its kids in different automobiles of various sizes, shapes, and colors.
It was when a reputed professor of Columbia University, Dr. Frank Cyr, conducted a decade long study of safety standards in a nationwide school transportation system that these facts came to light. Soon after that, a considerable conclave of educationists met at Columbia, and yellow became the official color of all school buses.
Rather than being pure yellow, this is a mix of bright orange and soft yellow, named as National School Bus Chrome in 1939, and today is known as National School Bus Glossy Yellow. Apart from the color, this huge meeting was also instrumental in establishing the standard dimensions of every bus, making school transportation safer.
It also meant that the school bus construction companies had a standard template that made the process cheaper. In this way, the standard yellow colored bus proved to be a multi-utility decision for all schools in the USA.
Stand-Out Performance
Now that you know the story behind the decision to paint all school buses yellow, you must be wondering what made Dr. Frank and all the other highly educated luminaries choose this particular color.
The answer is simple – yellow stands out in a sea of colors. As we all know, out of all the primary colors, Red is considered the most attention-grabbing hue.
However, when the color selection for school buses was going on, Red was already the go-to color that signified danger as it shone brightly at every traffic signal worldwide.
It would not be wise to choose the same color for school buses and denote them as dangerous automobiles.
Moreover, scientists have unanimously concluded that yellow tends to stand out the most in any situation. This fact is especially important when we consider the standard timings when school buses pick up or drop kids.
It is either early morning and late afternoon or early evening, respectively. It is quite common to encounter thick fog or other environmental elements during these timings, and yellow is visible even in the midst of the thick fog, smoke, rain, dust, or dirt clouds.
Most importantly, the lettering of the school name in black color shines brightest on the glossy yellow hue. This stand-out ability has made yellow the color of choice for the school transportation system.
The scientific reason behind this is the ability of ‘school bus glossy yellow’ hue to work on Red as well as Green cones of our eyes at the same time.
No matter how congested the traffic situation, our brain instinctively places a yellow-colored automobile apart from the others and gives a signal to speeding drivers to slow down, making yellow the safest choice for school buses.
Peripheral Winner
For those still wondering why school buses are yellow, here is another interesting fact. We possess peripheral vision, i.e., the ability to discern things and people who are not in our direct line of sight.
A scientific study has proven that yellow has the highest peripheral vision quality, surpassing even the red color that is officially considered the biggest attention-hoarder. It is 1.24 times easier and faster for us to discern a yellow-colored object in our peripheral vision than any other color.
Anybody can spot a yellow school bus from afar even when it is not directly in our sightline. This factor, combined with the connotation of yellow used for school kids, has made the school bus glossy yellow color a beacon of safety.
Loved By Children
While this factor did not have any say in choosing the yellow color for all school buses, it is also common knowledge that yellow is a bright and optimistic color. It denotes cheerfulness, sunshine, smiles, and kids love these attributes in their surroundings.
There is a reason we love decorating our kids’ rooms with bright yellow wallpapers or sunflowers. The natural happiness denoted by yellow gels well with the cheery disposition of kids in general.
Little kids are very impressionable and deserve to be surrounded by things, colors, people that motivate them to be better and make them feel pleasant.
If the essential happiness were missing from one’s life, one is bound to feel depressed, and we do not want our kids to go through life’s brutal battles at such a young age. Thus, using yellow as the official color for all school buses ensures that kids get a healthy dose of cheerfulness early in the morning, a high note to start the day.
Official Guidelines
The simple answer to the mystery behind the usage of yellow in school buses would boil down to – it is a legal mandate in the USA and Canada. Moreover, this mandate has found it’s equal in various other countries that also employ the use of yellow-colored automobiles to ferry their school kids to and fro school.
This color choice is a package item that includes many other conditions, such as a prominent display of the words ‘School Bus’, the presence of an attendant at all times, availability of a first aid kit, and so on, to ensure the safety of the kids.
There you have it –some of the reasons why are school buses yellow in color in many countries around the world. Can you think of any other reason to add to this happy list?
Check out these reports to know how common is such traffic violations-
INDIA – Based on a report in Hindustan Times, from January to October 2019, the Noida district traffic police have issued more than 6 lakh challans for different violations leading to the collection of ₹35 crores.
UAE – Arabic daily has reported the Abu Dhabi Police’s statement that 111 violations were recorded in 2019 for school buses for not turning on the ‘Stop’ sign.
USA – Joe Tax Payers reports that in the U.S, around 35 million speeding tickets are issued each year, which is about 93,000 tickets each day, or 65 each minute.
Types of Traffic Violations
There are two types of violations
Minor
Major
1) Minor Violations
The minor type includes parking violations such as parking in an unauthorized space including in front of a fire hydrant, at the handicapped zone, in front of the driveway and in a no-parking zone.
2) Major Violations
Major violations include more serious issues such as reckless driving and accident issues.
Traffic laws vary by specific state, city, and region. Anyone driving must make sure that they are aware of the legal rights and security options, and such options will vary depending on the charges.
Consequences of Traffic Violations
While minor violations lead to smaller fines and punishment, major ones will result in larger fines and in certain cases, even the accused may have to go to jail as well.
At times the results of such violations can be deadly serious and can lead to further legal consequences.
The more the traffic tickets a driver gets, the worse will be any one’s driving record.
With the increase in the number of points, there are also possibilities for the drivers to lose their licenses.
Insurance charges may also increase when you break traffic laws. While applying for new insurance or while renewing insurance, insurance companies will check the driving record and poor records may be denied insurance.
Violations can also result in a crime when a driver causes an accident, but leaves the scene or driving without a cense or driving when drunk or while using drugs.
Charging fines, punishment, and traffic tickets vary with where you live.
In most legal cases, those charged with a traffic felony will be recommended to appear in the court for the accusation.
During accusation, the prosecution must come up with the evidence to prove that the accused has committed the traffic violation.
Examples
While a moving violation occurs when a vehicle in motion disobeys traffic law, a non-moving violation is connected to parking vehicles.
Some of the common violations of traffic laws are –
Over speed
Not using the seat belt
Not signaling
Avoiding stop signs and red light
Distracted driving
No proper vehicle registration
Passing other vehicles in a no-passing zone
No valid driver’s license
Driving under drugs/alcohol influence
Driving in the carpool lane
Driving around without stopping for school bus
Failure to have updated insurance
Not stopping for pedestrians
Of all these violations, speed limit and seat belt violations are reported to be most common.
School bus safety is very important in many aspects as various cases are reported every day on different types of accidents where students get injured or even killed.The situation is alarming and that is why school districts are coming up with good strategies and plan to assure utmost school bus safety. Out of the various school bus safety issues, school bus fire are on the rise. Even when many such issues happened when students were not on board, the case may not be the same every time.
The common causes behind a school bus fire as per reports include:
Wires loosen or rub against engine parts
Exploding of tires
Release of inflammatory fluids due to leaks
Turbocharger, engine, and mechanical failures
Old parts lose their reliability
Overloaded circuit boards
Serious preventive measures must be taken from the side of school authorities, bus drivers, maintenance staff and students in order to minimize the possible accidents.
Failure of a bus component or collision can result in bus fire that not only risks the lives of students but also causes serious impacts on operational costs.
Here are a few of the important precautionary measures that are to be considered to prevent the school bus fire or lower its deadly impact.
1. Better Choose Front Engine Buses
If you examine the bus fire accidents closely, you can figure out that most of the fire mishaps happened with buses running on rear engines.
So if you can switch to front engine buses, it will be a plus in addition to other fire preventive measures.
To be clearer, even if the fire occurs, it happens far away from students and driver which gives some extra time to escape from the situation.
If you are already running buses with rear engines, suddenly changing it to front-engine models may not be feasible for schools with budget constraints.
However, keep this in mind and when it is time to upgrade the fleet of buses, choose to have front-engine models.
2. Always Have Fire Extinguishers Onboard
This is one of the basic safety measures to be followed before riding a school bus. Unlike other vehicles, we should be extra safe as kids may go panic when something unexpected happens.
It is always better to keep fire extinguishers on both front ends as well as the rear end of the school buses.
Moreover, make sure they are working properly. To ensure the same, keep a check on its operational dates on a regular basis.
And never hesitate to replace it with a new one if it is too old to be dependable.
3. Replace Aging Buses
There is no doubt that a bus that is used for many years will have its wear and tear.
The adverse weather conditions and the road conditions can add to the damage.
On a closer look, you can say that fire accident can also occur due to poor conditions of the old buses.
Failure of equipment is one of the main reasons for fire and the possibility for the same can be more in old buses.
So school districts and management should work in coordination to see that old buses are replaced with new buses on time.
Moreover, lease programs are being introduced to help schools to make use of the new school buses without the need of paying the whole sum upfront.
4. Visually Inspect Buses Beforehand
Drivers should be given proper instructions to perform a visual inspection of the buses before they start a drive.
This is very important when it comes to preventing possible fires. In case there is a leak in the flammable fluids, drivers can very well identify it in the morning.
This can avoid a possible school bus fire which might risks the lives of students.
If you go through the previous fire accident cases, it is understandable that most of the mishaps happened due to minor ignorance from the bus staff which could have been avoided.
In addition to the visual inspection of the bus, it is important for drivers and bus staff to follow their noses.
This simply means that they should be instructed to perform a smell test before the drive.
Shorted electronics or leaked fluids are among the potential reasons for the onboard school bus fire
In both of cases, there will be a strong burning smell beforehand and drivers can identify the same through a smell test.
These are serious warning signs which should never be ignored. A well-trained driver can identify that something is combusting under the hood which is not supposed to be.
6. Timely Inspection and Maintenance
When it comes to school bus fire prevention, the best thing you can do is to perform the timely inspection and maintenance.
A complete review of the bus fleet needs to be done under the guidance of field experts and do the necessary to assure the fully-fledged running condition of the buses.
The school authorities should oversee that inspection and maintenance procedures are done without fail and collect the reports for records.
If you plan to do the inspection about 6 times a year, don’t hesitate to make it 8 or 10 times for the old buses or the buses that often show some kind of issues.
7. Install Fire Suppression Systems
It may not be practical for schools to use fire suppression systems in all of their buses as it is a bit expensive.
However, there should be a serious consideration to use it at least for the special needs buses.
Students with special needs, especially those using a wheelchair may not be able to move fast when there is a fire on the bus.
A fire extinguisher will have its limits in many fires as it spreads too fast then you can imagine and students with special needs will be the most vulnerable.
An automatic fire suppression system can detect and suppress the fire automatically before it spreads that can save the situation.
8. Keep Away from Flammable Materials
As kids will be the main passengers of a school bus, extra safety needs to be taken on all grounds.
Strict instructions have to be made on the materials that can be used on the bus.
The main point is to keep away from any form of flammable material as you never know how kids handle it.
It is also a good decision to avoid using stuff like lighters and matches which can trigger fire on unexpected occasions.
Moreover, constant vigilance has to be maintained when it comes to updating school bus safety standards and procedures.
9. Perform School Bus Evacuation Drills
Even when all the safety measures are taken, unexpected incidents can occur anytime.
So drivers and support staff should be well trained to act smartly in case of a school bus fire.
The utmost important thing is to evacuate every single student in the bus in the least possible time without fail.
Rather than taking theory classes, performing evacuation drills is the easiest way for students and bus staff to learn and handle the situation.
The key factors that are learned in the evacuation drills include:
Type of evacuations (roof, front & rear door and side window)
How to open the emergency exits?
How to evacuate in an orderly and calm manner?
How to operate emergency equipment?
Designating older students to help younger ones
What is the next thing to do after evacuation?
10. Prepare Bus for Emergency Situations
It should be made mandatory that bus drivers and staff take extra care to assure the readiness of the school bus to handle emergency situations.
Before every ride, they should oversee these factors and there is no room for ignorance.
In addition to checking for leaks, drivers should see that all the emergency equipment and facilities of the bus are in a condition to work abruptly.
Make sure that the emergency equipment is close to the driver and see that all exit doors are working properly.
Conclusion
Almost 379 school bus fire has been reported on an annual basis as per reports from the US government.
Even when all safety measures are met, unexpected fires can happen anytime due to even a small carelessness.
Once the fire has happened, the presence of mind to handle it with minimal damage is important.
That is the reason why school bus drivers and support staff has to be given top class training on handling such situations.
Instead of panicking, drivers should first of all stop the bus in a safer place that is possible in the situation. They should then calmly call the bus dispatch number and vacate the bus while using the fire extinguisher.
Once a mishap has occurred, we should make sure that the fire inspectors need to take a look at the surveillance videos and closely analyze the recent maintenance work that is done on the bus to understand the reason that caused the fire. This is very important to take the necessary measures to avoid such accidents in the future.
The safety of students is always the main concern of school management. That is the reason why most of the schools are now equipped with modern technology to assure the utmost safety for students inside the campus. For that schools prefer school bus tracking companies to get equipped with enhanced tracking platforms.
Advanced apps for kids and parents, GPS tracker devices and options for real-time tracking of school buses are the highlighted benefits of using such platforms. School management can easily track the exact position of buses, the routes they take and even fuel consumption.
Here are a few among the best school bus tracking companies for you to choose from.
1 TrackSchoolBus
This is one of the best school bus tracking companies offering distinctly tailored software, hardware-agnostic solution, unique value-adding features and exclusive apps for teachers, parents, fleet manager, driver console and school transportation manager. Their solution comes with provision to customize the software depending on varying requirements and preferences.
2. TrackingHAWK
Softcruise Technologies offer this innovative cloud-based fleet management software for effective school bus tracking. High performance and quick analysis are key advantages. In addition, to the complete safety of transportation, they assure improved fleet productivity and automation, eliminate overtime and reduce fuel costs and maintenance.
This is one of the best school bus tracking companies from the team can transform fleet of school buses to Smart Buses to assure safe and efficient management. The RFID technology provides alerts for boarding/de-boarding, bus attendance and wrong bus boarding. The key highlights include end to end service, seamless deployment and effective monitoring.
The comprehensive bus tracking services from this Singapore based company gives you complete control of the fleet of school buses and lets you monitor and track precise location round the clock.
This is a renowned school bus tracking company that won the Expert’s choice award in 2018. Their tracking solution is easy to install and use. It can be downloaded for free online. Their platform not only ensures the safety of kids but also enhances driver skills and save fuels.
The advanced vehicle tracking technology from InnoVita is an all in one solution for in-bus attendance system and school bus tracking. The key features include live tracking, panic button, speeding alerts, pick/drop SMS and customization options to suit your preferences. Parents can make use of their Pigeon Plus Notify app to easily track their kid’s location.
The effective vehicle tracking system from this India based company plans and coordinates smartly with school transport managers to assure the safety of students traveling through school buses. Different applications are available for schools and parents to get notified about the status. Route changes, unnecessary stoppages or speeding can be easily monitored.
8. DSGN ElementsThis is a leading GPS tracking company in Dubai which offers comprehensive school bus tracking services. They are renowned for providing most accurate services for cost-effective rates. The efficient team here lets you optimize the operation through real-time intelligence to assure well-managed student transportation.
This UAE based school bus tracking company offers new generation fleet and asset management solutions. With high-resolution digital video recording, school management and parents can get an idea of what is happening inside and around the bus. This video synchronized with telematics data helps you to easily keep track of bullying, student discipline problems, vandalism, and driver safety issues.
This Dubai based school bus tracking service offers real-time students & bus tracking using iBeacons. The system comes with live bus tracking and touch-less check-in and check-out options. The appreciable benefits include real-time data, actionable insights, route optimization and better flexibility for drivers with map view and route details.
This Dubai based firm works with globally leading GPS tracking & fleet management systems to provide the optimal school bus tracking solutions. Parents can track the location of their kids in bus at any given time and the school transport department can easily prepare, monitor and handle the fleet in real-time.
They are a leading school bus tracking company in UAE with more than 2 decades of expertise in school transport industry. The team at Velocity is exceptional and the fleet of buses comes with
13. TechnautoThis is a reputed school bus tracking company in UAE with an amazing client retention rate of 96.5%. In addition to assuring the utmost safety of the student and efficient fleet management, the advanced services focus to save cost, time and efforts.
Being a top-rated school bus tracking company in UAE, ATS offers excellent location intelligence solutions for school fleets. The Advanced School Bus Solution from the team comes with the following features:
This is a globally reputed school bus tracking company with multiple branches in India, UAE, Qatar and Oman. They make the best use of GPS tracking features to offer secure school transportation services. The options include mobile digital video recorder with surveillance cameras, customized geo fence and auto route optimization.
16. Emecon
They are a pioneer in GPS tracking solutions since 2001 and stay unique with in-depth reporting, real time view and advanced alerts. School bus transportation safety is assured with live tracking, alert notifications and detailed report on complete fleet details.
17. GofleetThis is a USA based school bus tracking company with comprehensive live tracking features. The advanced GPS monitoring solutions assure utmost safety with easy route replay, powerful alerts, and trip history. The company comes with over 10 years of expertise and assures ease of use and industry-leading tracking features.
This is one of the best school bus tracking companies out of USA and India offers comprehensive school bus management solutions. TrackNKnow is an advanced system developed by ArnAmy that assures scalable and easily customizable platform for school bus tracking.
Based out of USA, App-Garden offers unparalleled school bus tracking solutions using Travel Tracker. It works on a cloud-based technology making it easy for everyone including parents, teachers, and drivers to track data in real-time. In addition, to transport safety for a daily pick up and drop off, this is an amazing platform to easily manage field trips in school.
20. RouteABus
This is a top school bus management company in the USA that offers free web-based bus routing applications. Parents can make use of the bus stop locator to know the bus stop locations as well as the time the student reaches a particular stop.
With branches in Singapore, India, and Bangkok, this leading firm offers effective bus tracking solutions. They provide exclusive apps for drivers, school administrators and parents to assure an effective end to end communication.
This top company based out of New Jersey offers unique comprehensive system for effective student monitoring & school bus GPS fleet tracking. The easy-to-use cloud-based platform features real-time tracking, fuel report, last location and engine diagnostics including RPM, battery level, and odometer.
This is a global school bus tracking firm based out of Bangalore. They provide a comprehensive child safety platform that offers end-to-end child monitoring and school bus tracking solution. This Magnasoft product is cloud-enabled and features RFID and Video surveillance technology.
24. ChekhraThey are a trusted school bus tracking companies in India known for offering a proactive approach and customized solutions for schools. Their system comes with the provision of sending emergency messages, monitoring, planning and optimizing routes and live speed violation alerts via SMS/ emails.
Being the industry leader in transportation management software, busHive® in NY offers comprehensive bus management solutions for schools and related fields. In addition to managing the daily commutation, the company’s software solutions offer special options to manage field trips efficiently.
26. BusWhere
Based out of the United States, but where offers exceptional bus tracking solutions for school districts with amazing features like push notifications during an emergency, driver behavior tracking and enhanced student safety and security. Buses can be watched in real-time and easily track the location of the bus at any given time or time spent by bus in each stop and other stoppages.
27. TransfinderBased in New York, this leading school bus tracking company offers customized solutions. With their advanced technology, school transportation management is easy than ever before with efficient school bus scheduling, routing, and planning. In addition to enhanced safety, the amazing features assure optimized trips.
28. TripSparkWith multiple locations in the USA and Canada, TripSpark offers advanced K-12 school bus transportation software to effectively manage and monitor school drivers, students, and schedules. With RFID student tracking cards, they easily collect every detail of trips at fingertips.
29. DATAMETRICBeing a leading bus tracking firm in UAE, DATAMETRIC offers highly automated and customizable school bus safety solutions. Their advanced system is designed not for just tracking the bus but even monitors the students with RFID integration. The ultimate goal is to improve transportation efficiency and provide peace of mind to parents and school authorities.
30. ZonarWith multiple locations in the USA, they are undoubtedly a global leader in providing intelligent technologies for safe school bus transportation. Their system is compatible with any fleet and provides data analytics, secure platform, and real-time school bus updates.
The solution lets you easily track performance and efficiency, increase child safety and improve parent communication.
They are based in Dubai, UAE that offers a virtual assistant to assure safe school bus ride experience. Their secure school bus tracking service works with a live interactive map to get details of the bus throughout the journey. Key features of the application include:
Custom email or push notifications on delay
Time and distance reminders
32. Tyler TechnologiesThey are a comprehensive transportation technology provider based out of Texas. Versatrans is a complete suite from the firm to assure safe school bus transportation. Key features include
The Company offers a completely integrated school bus telematics software and hardware solution to ensure student safety. Their real-time tracking information services let you know when a student misses a bus or if the bus goes out of the planned route. The key benefits include the utmost accuracy of data and real insights for better planning.
Based out of Dubai, they were among the 10 most popular GPS tracking companies in UAE according to the INSIGHTS SUCCESS survey. Its advanced tracking solutions can provide complete details about operation & movement of vehicle.
They are a renowned school bus tracking companies in India that works with smart wireless technologies and cloud connectivity. With happy customers over 28 countries, they are still looking for innovations every day to improve customer experience.
Choose the best school bus tracking solution that is ideal for your school and that meets the specific requirements.
Most of these companies offer distinctly tailored software and exclusive apps for different user needs such as transport manager app, parent app, and school bus attendant app.
These advanced GPS solutions do more than just tracking and assure smooth user experience for students, parents, schools and bus staff.
Make use of such services and experience a remarkable improvement in the overall safety and smooth functioning of the school transportation services.
Child abduction reports and school bus accidents are on the rise these days which is alarming. Hopefully, such advanced bus tracking solutions can create a positive difference.
In this fast-paced digital world, there are applications designed to better each and every scenario that make our life smoother and flawless. Have you heard about GPS tracking apps?
This amazing finding is learned to be a great platform for friends, family, educational institutions and even for business ventures.
The awesome features of such GPS tracking apps let you track your friend’s location when you plan a meetup or help parents to track their kid’s location when they go out alone.
You can even track your gadgets easily if it gets stolen.
An advanced GPS tracker app can do a lot more than simple tracking and here we are listing out some of the best available GPS tracking apps for Android and iOS platforms.
1. Find My Friends
This amazing GPS tracking app lets your iOS device to easily locate your family and friends. You can experience the best accuracy and notification performance with a stable internet connection.
Features
Easily set up location-based alerts
Location can be shared temporarily or permanently
Support for 3D Touch
Multilanguage support
2. GPSWOX Mobile Phone Tracker
You may just install this GPS tracking app on your phone and later track the device from a laptop or other phones for security purposes. This is an ideal application for locating loved ones when traveling alone or for employee tracking when on fieldwork.
Turn your mobile into a GPS tracking device by utilizing the features of this app. You can make the best use of its possibilities for personal as well as business needs.
Features
Real-time tracking or customizable tracking
Data privacy is assured
Track multiple devices from a single account
Full-time vehicle tracking available
4. Life 360
This is a globally leading real time location sharing app for iOS and Android platforms. The app can be set up to view the past location history of your particular circle, say kids or family. Most importantly, you will receive automatic notifications when they travel to and from home, school or work.
Features
Track a lost or stolen phone
Private chat for sharing texts and images
5. Waze-GPS, Maps, Traffic Alerts & Live Navigation
With live traffic data and instant routing changes, this efficient app lets you reach your destination in optimal time.
ETA is calculated so that you can plan the travel accordingly
Finds for you the cheapest gas on the route
Real time alerts about traffic, police and hazards
6. MapQuest
This is an interesting navigation app that can turn your Android or iOS device into a virtual assistant on your journey. It comes with voice navigation to reach your points of interest through walking or driving.
Features
Real-time traffic updates
Up to date satellite imagery and maps
Optimized routing to save gas, time and money
Multipoint routes to includes more stoppages
7. FamiSafe Location Tracking
This is a multipurpose parental control GPS tracking app that lets you do more than just tracking. Parenting can be a lot easier with web content filtering, geofence, remote screen time control, monitor and block apps.
Features
Kids location tracker lets you identify any unusual or dangerous areas
Limit screen time for your kids’ device
Real time location tracks the kid’s location at any given time
8. GPS Logger
This is a battery efficient and lightweight GPS application that lets you log your GPS coordinates on to an SD card file at particular intervals. After a journey, you can use these details to upload to travel sites, geotag photos or view on Google Earth.
Features
Imperial display units
Cell phone tower or GPS satellites
Auto start on boot
9. Where’s My Droid
It is the best ever application in the industry to track your lost Android phone with ease. With this app, location alert can be received on a low battery and you will get notified of SIM change or number change.
Features
Passcode protection to prevent unauthorized app changes
Remotely wipe SD card or phone data
Passive location updates and option to take snaps with the device camera.
10. Mobicip
This is an efficient app for your iOS or Android device to track your child’s location smartly. Locate your loved ones instantly to know whether they reached the school, work, and picnic spot or home on time and be in peace.
Features
Locate all family devices instantly
Set healthy limit on child’s digital experience
11. GPS Phone Tracker
This is a handy and easy to use application that utilizes the possibilities of GPS technology to assure family safety and protection. You can easily find the location of the device in real-time. This is a great plus to locate your device in case it is stolen or accidentally misplaced somewhere.
Features
No compromise inaccuracy
Better privacy with no ads
12. TheTruthSpy
This is a great app that lets you track the phones of your loved ones or even track yours in case it gets lost. The app’s features can help you reach the required destination in the best possible hassle-free route.
Features
Record calls and messages
Social media tracking
Block suspicious applications
13. Glympse
Share your real-time location with friends, family or co-workers with GPS tracking using this simple, fast and free application. You can set up a Glympse group for a trip or family reunion.
Features
Share location in real-time with a dynamic map
Be safe as your Glympse automatically expires in the given time
Easily send a note to the client with ETA when stuck in traffic
14. Find My Kids
Caring parents can utilize this smart application to know that their child is safe even when they are not answering calls or not nearby. You can set to receive notifications whenever your kid leaves or reaches home or school.
Features
Get notified if the battery runs out of their phone
The child can press the SOS button in danger
Communicate with kids in private chat
15. iKeyMonitor
This powerful and easy to use GPS tracking app lets parents monitor their kids through Android or iOS platforms. In addition to tracking the current GPS location, the app does a lot more to assure complete safety.
Features
Track your kid’s cell phone activities to prevent cyberbullying and protect from cyberstalkers and sexual predators
Set healthy time limits and rules to manage their screen usage
16. Family Locator GPS – Safe365
This awesome application with GPS tracker and locator is a great asset for your mobile to safeguard parents or grandparents. The panic/emergency button will alert you when they are in need and you can track the phone status information to know more details and reach the spot.
Features
Share easily to install links on loved ones’ mobile
You can track their mobile-only with their consent
17. Spyera
Install this user-friendly application and track device locations with real-time GPS tracking. The app can run in visible mode or hidden and undetectable mode. The app lets you to remotely set the target Android device’s microphone to record phone surroundings.
Features
Track SMS and monitor chat apps remotely
User-friendly and easy to install
18. Flexispy Phone Tracker
The app can easily turn your device into a video recorder or remotely controlled camera and spy on social media platforms.
Features
The track GPS location of your Android devices
Runs in hidden or visible mode
Record, intercept and listen live Android phone calls
This easy to use application keeps a log of whichever places you go and you can look back on pins on a personal map in the future. Share the location with your friends circle to see if somebody is nearby to meet up or during an emergency.
Features
Lifelog your adventures to keep up good memories
Keep track of your friend’s adventures
21. Mobistealth Mobile Tracker
This is more than just a GPS tracking app that not only tracks the device location but also its activities. The app records activities of kids or employees who own the device for future reference.
Features
View web browsing history
Receive all tracking details on Mobistealth user account
Track real-time or historical data
22. mSpy Lite Phone Family Tracker
Stay connected online with your loved ones always and know that they are safe with this monitoring and protecting app. This Gps tracking app lets you build virtual fences on the map for kids so that you get notified once they cross it.
Features
Real-time location is updated every 20 minutes
Contact list monitoring
Panic button
23. Google Maps
Navigate in a much faster and smarter way than ever before with this awesome application. Once you install the app, you will easily receive real-time traffic, GPS navigation and transit info.
Features
Discover places and explore like a local
Offline maps for easy navigation without an internet connection
Save time with automatic rerouting based on live traffic
24. Geo Tracker – GPS tracker
You can feel safe when you are traveling alone when you have this Gps tracking app installed on your phone. The app records tracks of the entire trips and shares them with loved ones.
Features
The reverse journey can be hassle-free without getting lost
The app records even when mobile is switched off
25. Live GPS Tracker
This is an ideal GPS app to assist you in travel events or hiking with high-quality GPS-tracks with photos and waypoints. Users have to register with the service at http://livegpstracks.com to get the benefits of the app.
Features
Send SMS with coordinates
Comprehensive GPS monitoring
Track records can be accessed offline
26. iTrack – GPS Tracking System
This is one of the best stable GPS vehicle monitoring and management applications for Android devices. Users can master the condition of the vehicle in any given time.
Features
View the list of vehicles
Multi-vehicle monitoring
Reverse address inquiries
View bicycle track in real-time
27. GPS Route Finder
These free GPS tracking apps let you share your location with friends and locate them on a map. You can get to know about the shortest route to your destination whether you are driving or walking. This even comes with an optional digital speedometer to track the speed of the car for a particular journey.
Features
Save your time with live traffic updates
Free offline maps and address finder
Install any of these amazing GPS tracking apps today on your phone depending on your exact requirements and experience a better life each day.
Most of these GPS tracking apps are available free of cost and some of them come with subscriptions which you can confirm after a successful trial period. When your loved ones are traveling, this is a great option to know that they are safe.
Even when texting and calling is an option, it may not be always practical when they are driving or in lengthy meetings. These amazing options can be handy at these times and you can invest in them for better peace of mind.
The concept of an ideal school is different for all parents. While some look for a good education, others check for advanced facilities, and some will look for sports or arts activities.
Melbourne, Australia’s cultural capital is well known for its food, cosmopolitan lifestyle and the universities and schools.
Schools here follow the Australian education system and education is provided in three levels – primary, secondary and tertiary levels. Choosing the right school for your kid is quite a time-consuming task.
Here’s a list of top 30 schools in Melbourne
1. Melbourne Grammar School
This school based in the district of South Yarra in Melbourne provides a universal education environment for students.
When it comes to history, this leading school in Australia has a tradition of the brilliance of more than 160 years.
This institution aims at providing a comprehensive education system that is ideal to develop each student’s academic, responsive, emotional and communal growth.
Students will be taught to become independent, at the same time creative and responsible in fulfilling their duties in society.
2. Balwyn High School
This leading state school provides a socially varied community and thus aims at offering ways to improve the educational experience of all the students who complete their studies here.
This high school staff works together to provide a safe study environment for children and they work hard to lead in the education sector and to maintain their standard of educational excellence.
The school targets mainly on student’s learning, wellbeing, transition, and engagement, thus making their performance better.
3. The Mac.Robertson Girls’ High School
This high school for girls, run by the Victoria Department of Education is committed to academic excellence.
The educational experiences provided at this campus helps students to be prepared for the future and be ready to face any challenges that may come across.
Established in 1905, as the Melbourne Continuation School, this school is dedicated to achieving excellent success in the academic level and evolving real leadership skills in students and makes them a complete person.
4. Alphington Grammar School
This co-educational grammar school, located in Melbourne’s north-eastern suburbs aims at ensuring student’s success with proper learning practices.
The school has recently celebrated its 30th anniversary in September, with a Grand Ball held at Leonda by the Yarra.
The celebration highlighted its key achievements over three decades.
Teaching as well as the non-teaching staff here helps to prepare students for the changing life, work as well as learning atmosphere.
They also support students in reaching great heights not only in education but also in sports and other activities.
Named as one of the top schools in Victoria in 2018, this co-educational school provides a comprehensive variety of courses and co-curricular experiences and programs.
Named after the achievements of Sir Gustav Nossal, a well-known scientist, this school also supports students in sports, creative art, music as well as leadership changes along with academic courses.
Skilled educators in this school strive to provide the best possible learning environment and outcomes for the students.
Based in Werribee and started in 2011, this school provides education for talented students from Year 9 to Year 12.
The wide-ranging curriculum at this selective entry school aims at assisting students to move to high levels of achievement.
The admission at this government school will be based on entrance examinations conducted by the Victorian Department of Education and Training during mid-year.
Learning as well as teaching models is based on research at the international level.
Founded in 1983 as a primary school, this is now a lively co-educational K-12 school that teaches over 750 students.
This open enrolment school now offers wide-ranging co-curricular choices for students.
Beautiful and peaceful environment, excellent teaching, student engagement activities, leadership building training, sports activities, standard administration system and experienced staff all make this school a unique one.
In a Christ-centered setting, this institution aims at offering high-quality education.
Designed for boys in the local society, this school was started in 1886 by A.B. Taylor.
It follows the current approach to education. The curriculum followed here combines academic learning with arts, music as well as sports. Teaching strategies followed here intend to make their students good citizens.
Students are also encouraged to support the practice of democracy, equal rights to all as well as freedom of religion, speech, and association.
Established in 1910, this primary and secondary day boarding school has a long history in achieving academic success.
The school works with the mission of building good men and each student will be trained to live with a positive attitude even in this challenging living space.
They also support parents to take part in almost all aspects of school life. Teaching strategies are designed to bring out all the abilities of boys and thus enriching their lives.
Located outside Melbourne, this Islamic school of Victoria offers its students with the academic curriculum of high standards.
Along with encouraging studies, the college also supports its student’s leadership qualities, which helps them a lot in the future. Focused on quality learning, this institution provides complete education that is required to develop key talents in students and make them self-determining young adults.
The staff here also focuses on developing problem-solving abilities in students.
With four campuses in Victoria, this is a co-educational, independent, Christian school started in 1923.
Recognized by the Council of International Schools in the year 2001, this organization provides students with an option to choose the VCE or International Baccalaureate (IB) programs as their final criterion.
Experienced teachers here provide clear feedback that makes the students think and act accordingly and become more responsible.
The courses provided in this school are based on the benefits and skills of each student.
Founded in 1996, this primary school is dedicated to providing the best education available.
The team of committed instructors and support staff work together to assist each child to cross through their school years in a dedicated manner.
One among the 11 Renaissance schools worldwide, Erasmus Primary School aims at achieving success in all aspects – let that be educational, physical or creative. Staff here also encourages students to respect others, sharing and thus build a better personality.
This small but independent school in Melbourne was founded in 1898 and it provides education for the girl’s community.
The academic courses provided here support students to obtain a diversity of skills and capabilities.
Here, staff, as well as scholars, work together in a supportive atmosphere and thus they are encouraged to achieve their potential goals. This institution is also a member of Girls Sport Victoria, as well as the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia.
Ranked as one of the best-performed schools in Victoria, many students have praised this school’s skilled and experienced teaching staff in Google reviews.
Activities in this school such as group discussions in class, combined activities, and behavior training make students perfect and prepare for the future.
Their talent in sports, arts, as well as creativity, is also awarded, along with academic success.
A top girl’s school in Toorak, Australia, St Catherine offers an inspiring atmosphere that allows students to focus completely on being responsible young women of the future.
Students are also taught to develop self-discipline. They are trained to be self-governing, brave and artistic at the same time.
Educators here work hand in hand to empower girls to prepare for life and encourage them to participate actively in academic as well as other extracurricular activities.
Founded in 1881, as a boy’s school, this is one of the richest schools in Australia.
This Grammar school offers a variety of scholarships for academic programs as well as music, drama, and art. The complete focus is on quality earning.
Their comprehensive curriculum allows students to prepare for life. This institution also offers advanced technology to facilitate a better learning experience.
The syllabus offered here is based on the latest trends and best practices in education. Students are encouraged to find their own path.
The lively learning atmosphere and groundbreaking programs in this institute support each student to meet their complete potential in a quiet safe environment.
Students are provided with opportunities to improve their self-confidence and well-being, along with attaining personal accomplishments.
They were trained to meet the challenges in the future and be a perfect human being with intelligence. Students are also allowed to engage in additional activities and sports items along with their regular syllabus.
Established in 1890, this school for girls works with a strategic design to support each student, with a better learning atmosphere.
Though named formally as Corowa in 1899, it was later changed to Korowa. Their extended history of academic brilliance, flexible courses, effective teaching styles, and well-facilitated campus makes it an ideal place for your daughter to learn, play and grow.
Their efficient learning programs help students in facing real-world challenges.
This primary school started in 1976 is quite different from many other schools.
A unique school of its kind, Fitzroy Community School creates a different lifestyle that encourages students to love learning and win academic success, thus making them good human beings.
Educators here also focus on their student’s behavior as well as better communication capabilities.
Children will be taught all the required skills to earn better jobs in their lives.
The school is located in Doncaster East, Australia. Social diversity, commitment to quality learning, safety measures, effective curriculum programs, caring educational atmosphere as well as technically enriched facility makes this institution a great place for your kid.
Custom-tailored syllabus and courses offered here help each student to get the necessary support and extra assistance that make them not only good students but also good and kind human beings.
22. Burwood East Primary School
With its proven history in education, this primary school is focused on making each kid be intellectually and spiritually prepared to meet their academic goals.
The school management works together and encourages students to exploit their potential in all areas of the academic as well as artistic programs.
Parent participation in the programs of the school is also encouraged and parents are free to question and provide feedback on school matters.
At St. Joseph’s, culture and schooling include not only academic instruction but also permanent skills to become empathetic and grow to be contributing citizens.
Attractive heritage architecture, rear playground, and painting of the front playground are also factors of attraction to this school.
The education provided here based on the Victorian Curriculum aims at providing a complete and efficient learning atmosphere for students in a safe and happy way.
Based in North Melbourne, Australia, the North Melbourne Primary School is devotedly dedicated to developing student learning abilities and meeting the needs of all students by providing efficient teaching approaches.
One of the innovative pedagogical teaching methods this institution provides is inquiry learning, which encourages students to ask pivotal questions for detailed analysis.
Established in 1901, this institution is a self-regulating, non-denominational, day school for girls, where it has a non-selective enrolment policy.
They also support co-educational for three-year-old and four-year-old Kindergarten and girls-only from Prep school to Year 12.
Lauriston opened its regional campus ‘Howqua’ in the Victorian High Country in 1993 exclusively for their Year 9 students.
This is the first Australian program launched for students to participate in an extensive academic, pastoral and outdoor programs for the entire school year.
Founded as Knoxfield College in February 1982, this school is located in the eastern Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
It is a self-governing, co-educational and non-denominational day school.
The Knox School is a member of the Eastern Independent Schools of Melbourne association.
At present, 680+ students are learning at school. The vibrant teachers of this school help in nurturing the adaptive set of skills and values of the students.
The school is located in Ormond, a suburb in Melbourne, Australia.
To help students become strong, judgmental, caring and thoughtful, the Kilvington education is shaped on four key pillars – Academic Excellence, Character, Community and Care.
Their vision is to be a school of excellence offering a comprehensive education to both girls and boys, allowing them to stand out independently and as part of society.
With more than 2,500 students – both girls and boys, Penleigh and Essendon Grammar School (PEGS) is a leading multi-campus private school located in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
The school offers an enriching education.
From Kindergarten to VCE, the school offer co-educational learning environments and an extensive co-curricular program that encourages students to develop their senses of sportsmanship, ingenuity, community, and headship.
Established in 1909, by the Anglican Archbishop of Melbourne, Firbank Grammar School is an independent, Anglican, day and boarding school located in the suburb of Brighton, Melbourne, Australia.
The school is both co-educational (Early Learning Centre and Primary School) and girls only.
By providing them the right balance of educational and real-life experiences, Firbank makes their students choose the right path and be independent.
Nowadays, many qualified drivers consider driving as an easy task and seem to have no worries about it. But, the fact is that there are numerous road hazards in driving and they are still growing.
This blog discusses 15 common road hazards and the best ways to prevent them.
1. Hydroplaning or Skidding Out of Control
Skidding or sliding of cars occurs when there is a lack of friction between tire and road. This usually occurs when driving in wet or icy conditions, stopping suddenly or entering a turn at a high speed.
Preventive Measures:
You need to adjust your driving in adverse conditions. You need to slow down if the road conditions are anything less than ideal. You should never try to jerk the wheel, as this may cause you to quickly lose control of the vehicle. In addition, you need to maintain your tires properly. This will reduce the chances of hydroplaning.
2. Tire Blowout
It occurs when a tire bursts that is accompanied by a loss of air pressure. In fact, most blowouts are caused by too little air pressure. This in turn allows the tire to flex beyond elastic limits until it overheats to the point where the rubber loses its bond to the internal fabric and steel cord reinforcement.
Preventive Measures:
You need to focus on controlling your vehicle and getting safely to the side of the road to assess the situation.
Always be careful of debris on the road, look far in front of you for road debris. Slow down, if you see any and change the lane safely away from debris. You should maintain your tires properly as weak tires are more likely to a blowout.
3. Car Lands in Lake
This is when your car falls into a deep part of the water.
Preventive Measures:
You need to drive defensively and at a safe speed whenever you are near water. You should be very careful when driving in flood conditions. You need to avoid flood-prone roads in heavy rains.
If you find yourself in rising water, then get your family out of the car and move to higher ground.
4. Toddler Climbs Out of Car Seat
It occurs when the toddler unbuckles his/ her car seat belt and stands up in the back of the car.
Preventive Measures:
You should never engage in discussions with your child about why he/she can’t get out of his car seat.
Instead, you need to tell your child that it is not allowed. You should also make sure that the harness is snug enough.
5. Baby Starts Wailing
It happens when your baby starts to scream and wail while you are driving and you may not be able to console him/ her.
Preventive Measures:
If you are with your spouse, then you need to take turns riding in the back alongside the baby. You need to play with your baby and keep him/her engaged with soft toys, rattles, and books.
When you are going on long road trips with your baby, you need to take frequent breaks to accommodate his/her needs and to keep you from feeling frazzled.
It happens when a driver coming from the opposite direction runs a red light and fails to see you and his car accidentally hits your front fender, sending plastic, metal, and glass into the air.
Preventive Measure:
You need to drive defensively by staying fully alert on the road. You should not eat, apply makeup, or use a cell phone while driving, and never get behind the wheel if you are sleep-deprived or have been drinking. Never drive too closely behind another vehicle.
You need to keep a safe following distance while driving.
Use the three-second rule to measure the safe following distance: – When the car ahead of you passes a fixed object such as a sign, fence, corner or overpass, you need to start counting seconds and at least three seconds need to pass before your car passes the same object.
You need to brake firmly before you collide, in the case of an unavoidable crash.
7. Fog Clouds Your View
These road hazards occurs when the fog completely blocks your vision and makes it difficult to see even the traffic light.
Preventive Measures:
Avoid driving in foggy conditions. You must reduce the speed of your car if you encounter unexpected fog.
You should open your windows to know the traffic. Always be patient and never switch lanes if you don’t have to.
You should never stop on a busy road in a dense fog. This will put you at risk of being hit.
8. Bicyclists
It is most common for a cyclist to get hit by a vehicle.
Preventive Measure:
You need to give bicyclists plenty of room and keep an eye out for them. In fact, some bicyclists tend to drive too closely to cars.
Therefore, you need to keep a safe distance from bicyclists on the road.
9. Small Animals
These road hazards occur when you accidentally hit a small animal while driving your car.
Preventive Measure:
In this case, you must weigh your potential loss of life against theirs. You need to be extra careful when trying to avoid them. Never put your life or vehicle in danger.
When you are about to hit a small animal, you need to brake rather than swerving to avoid it as swerving can lead to a worse collision with a tree or an oncoming vehicle.
10. Pedestrians
Pedestrians are greatly vulnerable to being hit by vehicles and bicycles. A person who jaywalks or recklessly cross a street creates a hazard for themselves and drivers.
Here are a few safety tips for pedestrian:
When walking at night, you need to wear reflective clothing. It alerts the drivers that you are on the side of the road.
You need to walk with a flashlight. This alerts vehicles and cyclists that you are on the sidewalk. However, you need to keep your flashlight pointed towards the ground.
You need to walk on the sidewalks.
When you are walking with your dogs or any other pets, try to keep them on a short leash. You must also ensure that they cannot slip their heads out of their collars or escape their harnesses. You need to walk in between the road and your pet.
You need to cross only when the walking signal is displayed.
Pedestrians should avoid using mobile phones while crossing the road.
Drivers should be aware of their surroundings. They must focus on driving safely in a pedestrian dense area such as a shopping center.
11. Construction Zones
Road construction zones are a deadly road hazards for workers, motorists, and pedestrians.
Preventive Measure:
When you come across a construction zone, you need to slow down and drive carefully. You must be prepared to safely change lanes and watch out for road workers.
12. Potholes
Potholes can be highly dangerous when some drivers try to swerve around a pothole and get into accidents.
Preventive Measures:
If you see a pothole on the road, keep a firm grip on your steering wheel. You need to slow down and if you feel it is safe, try to drive around the pothole.
13. Large Trucks
These road hazards occur when a passenger vehicle collides with large trucks.
Preventive Measures:
It is recommended that if you are following a truck, stay out of its blind spots or “NoZone” to the sides and rear.
You should avoid following a truck too closely. You need to position your vehicle; which makes it possible for the truck to see it in his or her side mirrors.
A truck merging into traffic requires more time to accelerate and reach a normal speed than a car’s needs.
You must be prepared to slow down to allow the truck to merge safely. If you encounter a truck coming from the opposite direction, you need to keep as far as possible to the side in order to avoid a sideswipe accident and to reduce the wind turbulence between the two vehicles.
Truck drivers usually have to swing wide to the left to safely make a right turn. You need to give them plenty of room, and never cut in between them and the curb or shoulder to the right.
Children lack the capacity to assess the situations or circumstances shrewdly. They do not know how dangerous moving vehicles are and can suddenly run to chase a ball across the street, or simply to go home.
Preventive Measure:
Whenever you see children around while driving, try to reduce the speed of the vehicle and prepare to stop.
15. Blinded by Glare
It is when the glare from the headlights of a car coming from the opposite direction with high beams falls directly on your eyes. This can lead to blurriness and this temporary blindness often leads to accidents.
Preventive Measure:
You need to check your eyesight on a regular basis and if you wear spectacles or contact lenses, then keep them up-to-date.
Older people should avoid night driving and if it is necessary, then they need to drive slowly.
Always choose to drive on the slow lane on multilane highways. You should drive slowly and adjust your speed to the reach of your headlights.
Looking down toward the right side of the road helps you from being blinded by the high beams that directly fall into your eyes. You should also concentrate on the edge of the lane or the painted edge line until the vehicle passes.
Conclusion
A driver should be careful while driving to avoid serious road hazards that may occur at any time.
Driving is not an easy job, it should be done with focus. So next time when you start your vehicle be careful and move safe.
Most parents use data as well as statistics from the U.S. Department of Education and other trustworthy resources to find the best schools in their area.
When it comes to Chicago, most top-rated public schools are ranked based on how they perform on state-wide tests, in graduation exams as well as how good they prepare their students for college.
Whether you are looking for a primary school to provide your children with primary or elementary education or even a secondary or high school, here’s a list of the 25 Best Schools in Chicago.
This primary school works with an ideal mission of providing learners with significant, distinguished learning experiences, teamwork and a common vision for success, and thus retaining a safe and responsible school climate.
Located on Chicago’s southeast side, north of the Easter Lake area, this school provides education for more than 500 students each year in their pre-kindergarten through fifth-grade classrooms.
Based on last year’s report, this school in chicago has ranked better than 96.9% of elementary schools in Illinois and was also ranked 5th among 14 ranked elementary schools in the Naperville School District. Reports also highlight that most students here are performing above grade level.
Since its beginning in 2000, Walter Payton College Preparatory High School has been serving as an international model for global teaching and learning.
Situated in the north side of Chicago, this is a school with award-winning status for its outstanding math, science, fine arts, humanities as well as adventure education programs.
Students can also benefit from extracurricular activities, sports programs and student-driven clubs in the school.
Factors that attract anyone to this school include
Run by the Chicago Public Schools district, Whitney M. Young Magnet High School was founded in 1975. Based near West Side neighborhood in Chicago, this school aims at creating a positive as well as a friendly, varied and challenging learning community.
Ranked as the 5th most challenging high school in Illinois, 4th best Chicago high school and the 2nd most diverse high school in the U.S., this high school features preparatory curriculum with two programs that need special application and entrance testing – The Magnet High School Program for Grades 9–12 and The Academic Center for Grades 7–8.
The school also provides support for students in developing diverse fine arts programs including graphic design, band, guitar, orchestra, choir, drama, sculpture, theater and more
Through their unique education model, they aim at providing students with the base knowledge to discover and obtain a clear understanding of the world around them and act accordingly.
Their problem-based learning helps in facing real-world issues along with making students economically advanced. The staff here is well trained to prepare each student for those 21st-century jobs which is to be created.
This school community’s accelerated academic programs are taught above grade level, which helps the students to attain their highest academic latent. This school was also in news recently for helping empower young girls at elementary schools through science and gardening.
Ranked #2 in Illinois High Schools, this public high school was founded in 1999 and is situated in the North Park neighborhood of Chicago, IL. The first as well as new CPS high school that was built in last 20 years, it provides a unique learning community.
Key factors that all work together to make this school a great place for public education includes
gifted, dedicated students
progressive and expert faculty
caring and supportive parents
supportive benefactors
community partners
In grades 9-12, this school has 1,069 students with a student-teacher ratio of 18:1. Reports highlight that 89% of students in this top-rated, public school are at least proficient in math and 94% in reading.
Located on Chicago’s South Side, in West Englewood, this public 4-year selective enrollment high school aims at drawing the best students from all areas of the city.
Ranked 11th within Illinois and one among 106 high schools in the Chicago Public Schools list, this academy provides students with the opportunity to take Advanced Placement® coursework and exams.
In National Rankings, this school has been ranked #272. Baxter International Inc. has collaborated with this reputable academy to construct the Biotechnology Center for Excellence. With this initiative, students can connect their classroom studies to real world experiences.
A 3 year residential public high school based in Aurora, IL, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) is focused on developing artistic, moral leaders in mathematics, science, engineering as well as technology.
Niche.com has ranked this school as the top Public School in America in 2019. IMSA provides tutoring through research, innovative undertaking and tactical partnerships and thus aims at creating academically talented Illinois students.
Located in the northern suburb of Chicago, Vernon Hills High School or VHHS is ranked 23rd within Illinois. This public 4-year high school with about 1300 students works with a mission to create talented scholars who travel around and discover the most innovative creations.
Being a part of Community High School District 128, this community also includes Libertyville High School
Established in August 1998, Jones College Prep High School is run by the Chicago Public Schools district. Being the first school in Chicago to engage in the Cooperative Work-Study program, this school is dedicated to preparing students for a life span of achievement.
With a tradition of academic excellence and ethnic and cultural diversity, this school is dedicated to fulfilling each student’s potential in academic, creative, material, as well as socio-emotional dimensions.
The largest high school in Chicago accommodating about 4,200 students, Lane Tech College Prep High School is a leader among the most exceptional educational foundations in the area.
This school’s set of courses is based on college preparatory education and aims at building the school’s technical tradition. Here, students can enjoy more continuous learning, with the same amount of instructional days as other schools.
Based in Chicago, Glenbrook South High School serves 2,972 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 15:1.
This public 4-year high school offers a unique instructional program that is designed to meet the educational requirements of a varied student population.
This school also takes pride in expanding its contributions to all crucial areas such as Arts, Academics, Athletics as well as Activities.
Started in August 2009 in DuPage County, Metea Valley High School is one among the four high schools run by the Indian Prairie School District, which is the 5th largest district in IL.
Here, students get opportunities beyond the traditional curriculum and so they can excel in all subject areas. They have the most supportive teachers of any selective enrollment high school.
Opened in 2005, in Forest Park, Illinois, Proviso Mathematics and Science Academy is one of the latest schools in the Proviso Township High Schools District 209.
This school works with the mission of developing the mutually dependent and worldwide learner with an advanced set of courses that improves their problem-solving capability.
Along with academic brilliance, students will also be taught to be all-time learners and universal citizens.
With a successful history of over 135 years, Abraham Lincoln Elementary School is serving the Lincoln Park community with great pride.
Chosen as an International Gifted School, this school has one of the most prominent educational programs in this world. By balancing custom and novelty, they provide outstanding opportunities for students in all relevant backgrounds.
Named on behalf of its former Illinois governor Adlai E. Stevenson II, this Adlai E. Stevenson High School was opened in the year 1965.
This School Community works hard to reach excellence by engaging students in significant experiences. The faculty, parents and staff here are determinedly dedicated to nurturing the great minds and leaders of tomorrow.
Oscar Mayer Magnet School is dedicated to promoting students to become lifelong learners.
Their pioneering teaching techniques are designed to promote academic curiosity and support the principles of an engaged population. Courses offered here are based on Montessori and an International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program.
Named in tribute to Eric Solorio, Eric Solorio Academy High School works with the mission of providing all students with the awareness, talent, and discipline essential to graduate from college and have an optimistic impact on their living communities.
This public 4-year high school serving 1,185 students is successful in creating a supportive atmosphere to improve student’s problem-solving skills.
Positioned among the top 1% of all schools in Illinois, Decatur Classical School provides a supreme educational experience for all their students.
Your kids can also benefit from an innovative curriculum which supports the investigation, decisive thinking, as well as the application of educational tools.
They follow common core principles to connect students in high quality accelerated teaching.
Initially named the Jefferson and later named after the French dealer Jean Baptiste Beaubien, Beaubien School provides a fostering school atmosphere that accommodates gifted and talented students of diverse populations.
This community also promotes other activities that keep your children active such as chess club, band, robotics club, sports program, science and math club and more.
Being a part of Chicago Public Schools, Amundsen High School serves almost 1,200 students. The school is well known for its outstanding student success results as well as competitive educational and supplementary programs that meet this 21st-century competence.
The courses offered here are intended to develop each student’s talent and thus make them free thinkers for their lifetime. They can also gain good knowledge of other subjects including languages, technology as well as arts.
Since September 2009, Skinner North has been striving towards achieving academic excellence and improving social skills to all their students.
Along with competitive courses and coaching, this school also provides other key facilities such as a library, cooking kitchen, science and computer labs, a large auditorium, and more.
Dedicated and experienced staff here put their hands together to establish highly successful rules to support teamwork and leadership.
Named after the basketball team – Chicago Bulls, Chicago Bulls College Prep is a part of the Noble Network of Charter Schools.
This school aims at organizing learners for their graduation, by teaching them respectable personality, self-discipline, and a healthy standard of living.
Caring staff at this community provides valuable instructions to students to sculpt them in an academically sophisticated environment.
Along with creating knowledgeable and educated citizens, this college preparatory high school provides an opportunity to learn agriculture and develop marketing skills in learners.
Their mission is to change the illustration of built-up agriculture, by producing technologically advanced graduates. This Midwest attracts students and parents for its inventive curriculum, failure avoidance and excellent motivation for students.
Named after George Henry Corliss, an American engineer, this high school provides all necessary support for student to make sure that all whom they educate are really successful.
They also offer Advanced Placement coursework as well as exams for learners. Many reports have already proven this school student’s proficiency in math as well as reading.
Hope this list helps you choose the best school to build your child’s career.
