Safety is the motto of school bus transportation. Millions of children travel by school bus and to keep them all safe is the responsibility of school bus drivers. For keeping the children safe and at the same time stick to the schedule, drivers should take certain precautions.
Want to know some school bus safety precautions for school bus drivers? Here are some special safety precautions a bus driver should take:
Ensure that doors are safely closed before starting the school bus and are not in locked condition
Never allow any child to stand in a way that hinders your vision to the front, side, or rears
Do not permit an unauthorised person to sit in the driver's seat, or operate the school bus
Make sure that no child place their belongings in the aisles of the school bus
Check whether the vehicle engine of a school bus is in off condition, gear is in neutral, and the ignition key is removed, before leaving the bus
When a school bus gets damaged and require lights, make sure that flares or reflectors is placed 30 meters in front and behind the bus
While loading and unloading students, ensure that the bus is secure by checking around and underneath the school bus
Before moving the bus, make sure that students get down the bus in a safe location
Be cautious while approaching a railway crossing
Stay calm and act promptly
Be professional, loyal and sincere at all times
Carry out pre-trip inspection routinely
Provide guidance to students regarding emergency school bus evacuation procedures
Be stern about school bus discipline and at the same time show a pleasant attitude to the students
Distracted Driving: A Threat to School Bus Safety
Be positive
One of the most important things to remember is to be positive while driving a vehicle like a school bus. This positive attitude can help the driver to handle the emergency situations properly. When you are in an aggressive mood, you will naturally be unable to make swift and accurate decisions. And hence, it can be risky for occupants in the school bus.
If you can't control your mood and temper, then it can lead to serious accidents. In addition to this, school bus drivers should have adequate knowledge of revised traffic rules and regulations.
Any driver can claim that they are transporting the most precious cargo to and from school. But a skilled and professional school bus driver takes adequate safety precautions, receive proper training, and have an awareness on renewed safety rules and regulations.
School bus, no doubt is the ultimate solution for safe transportation of children to and from school. There are a lot of factors that adds to the school bus safety.
From GPS tracking to RFID tags, school bus attains full points as far as safety of children is measured.
The task of picking up of students from stops and dropping them off at school are managed by the school bus drivers. They also transport students and faculty to field trips or sporting events.
School bus drivers often work split shifts of mornings and afternoons. They hold a very important responsibility of transportation of the students.
The role of drivers might appear small but there are a lot of things that drivers must concentrate on.
School Bus Safety tips for school bus drivers
1. Usually drivers follow a strict time schedule, but under no circumstances safety should be sacrificed to maintain schedule 2. The driver should be well aware that he represents the school so he must display a clean personality with good behavior 3. Leave at the right time to the bus stop, don’t rush 4. Should concentrate on moving traffic 5. Pay attention to the traffic and safety measures, do not listen to music player, do not play handheld video games which can lead to distractions and accidents 6. Never wear hood while driving as it can make difficulty in hearing and seeing traffic 7. Ensure that all the children are safely seated before starting the bus 8. Be courteous and show respect to children 9. Be friendly to children but concentrate more on road while driving 10. Stop for picking and dropping of children 11. Drive with the headlights on, even during day time 12. Be prepared to act accordingly during emergency situation 13. Deal with the public in a positive, courteous and respectful manner 14. Remain alert for ice, debris, or slippery spots 15. Alerts about bad weather should be noticed 16. If the bus is trapped on tracks, evacuate the bus immediately 17. The speed should always be under control 18. Do not rush to reach the destination fast, always put safety prior to schedule 19. After every drive, bus drivers should check all seats and interior 20. Do not smoke or consume alcohol inside the school bus
Here are the 20 safety tips for school bus drivers shown in the form of Slideshare presentation:
Primary Responsibilities of the school bus drivers
• Transportation of the children to and from school • Transportation on scheduled time and route • Before operating the bus, ensure the functioning of the bus. Check the bus tires, breaks, lights, and oil. • Helping disabled children to enter and exit the bus • Ensuring that children are seated before the bus starts • Keenly following the traffic rules • Informing the passengers of any delay • Staying updated about the latest driving rules • Remain alert for ice, debris, or slippery spots • Emergency numbers must be kept with the drivers • Drive students and staff members to field trips, sporting events, and other outdoor activities
• All routes including the highways • School bus regulations • Dealing with children • Dealing with children of special needs • Scheduling system and procedures • Record keeping system • Equipment cleaning standards and procedures
Skills and abilities of the driver
• Operating the school bus in a safe and responsible manner • Skills of client service and public interaction • Team building • Problem solving skill • Quick decision making capability • Verbal and listening skill • Ability to write and read • Stress management • Time management
There are some must follow qualities for being a perfect school bus driver
• Honesty and trustworthy • Respectfulness • Cultural awareness and sensitivity • Should be flexible • Demonstrate sound work ethics
Special direction for the drivers to follow
There are some school bus safety measures that must be followed by the by school bus drivers.
• The driver should not leave the bus with motor running • While children are on the bus, driver should never fill the gasoline tank • No one other than authorized people should drive the school bus • Driver should not merchandise animals, weapons, or other loads or attachments when transporting children • There must be a back up bus in the school • Move the bus only after all the riders are seated • Do not consume alcohol before driving • Report to the concerned authority if there are unmanageable pupils • Never put the child to walk home • Never use abusive language • While transporting pupils, driver shall not exceed 15 m.p.h • Promptly file all reports, routes, schedules and instructions for picking and dropping
When it comes to school kids, everyone believes parents, teachers or his/her friends to be people who play the prime role in their lives. Seldom are the school bus drivers given credit for the work that they do. Being a guide for students from home to school and back was the duty of a bus driver of the past. His role has changed over the years and he is now one of the most important entities in a student’s life. A GPS tracking system along with a well trained driver has proved to be useful in more than one occasion.
Just How Important is the Bus Driver?
Drivers act as the link between school authority and the students outside of the school campus via the GPS tracker app. A driver helps to record and inform on students behavior on the bus. This way the school’s reputation is kept intact as the school is able to take disciplinary actions. With the help of a GPS school bus tracking system, he can do this in real-time.
Drivers are the first line of defense against the smuggling of unwanted materials into the campus by the students. Drivers also act as security for students outside of the campus. While using a bus, the student’s life depends on how the driver conducts himself while driving.
Drivers could provide orientation to new students. A driver can explain to students about the procedures and mode of operations of a school, thereby giving them prior idea of how the school functions.
Drivers are the school’s eyes on the road. Hence they can notify the school authority about traffic blocks and other issue with the use of an effective school bus tracking system. This could help the schools to alert other bus accordingly to stay away from the informed routes.
In some cases, drivers may know more about a student than the teachers. Teachers may teach a student for a few classes but a bus driver may have driven the same student for years through the same route.
A driver’s network runs deeply through a society so his conduct is important as it reflects the values and virtues of the school administration in the public.
A student first meets the driver in a day. So the driver is responsible for imparting positive atmosphere to the student so that his day begins on a positive note.
It is clear that a school bus driver has several duties entitled to him/her. Moreover the schools must also provide the driver with adequate training in order to handle different situations that he may have to face when on duty.
What Training Can Schools Give to Improve Driver’s Capabilities?
School vehicle drivers must be given training to manage the students on board the bus. Without the supervision of a teacher, or some other school authority, the children may misbehave. Hence such training will help the drivers become self-sufficient.
Drivers should be given an annual driving test to know if they are up to the mark. Moreover he must also be given a monthly psychological evaluation to ensure he is of a sound mind and is stress free. Regular health examinations are also a must. A driver of sound mind and body can ensure better student safety.
A driver must be trained to handle students of different age groups. Every student belonging to a different age group has different needs. A driver must be capable of realizing this and must act accordingly.
He should also be given special training to take care of disabled students, if the situation arises.
A driver should also be capable of handling hazardous situations like accidents, fire and so on, as his quick responses could turn out to be a life saver.
In the present scenario, where a lot of questions are frequently posed to student safety, the driver can play a pivotal role in helping the parents and teachers to take care of their wards.
