Safety First at Back-to-School Time

The new school year is here, and parents will once again get into the routine of hitting the snooze button one too many times, forgetting to sign homework, soothing a sophomore who is having a bad hair day, and giving their kids a couple of bucks because there was no time to pack a lunch.

But before you send your children off to the bus stop, or hand your teen the keys to the car, take a moment during your chaotic morning, and help them be safe.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an average of 24 school-age children die in school transportation-related traffic crashes each year (11 occupants of school transportation vehicles and 13 pedestrians).

Robyn Svoboda will begin her eleventh year as a bus driver for the Avon school system. She says that children must be aware of their surroundings, and they should remain in the designated safe zones.

Too often, she said, students spend their time waiting for the bus by playing and aren't paying attention to things like how close to the road they are.

“We have a designated place of safety where kids should stand when the bus pulls up.” “That is very important for kids to understand,” she added.

The danger zone, according to the NHTSA is a 10-foot bubble in front of, behind, and alongside the bus. Children should remain outside of this area until the bus comes to a complete stop and the door is opened. Anyone inside of this area is unlikely to be seen by the driver, increasing the risk of injury.

Svoboda also said that behavior on the bus is important as well. Children need to stay in their seats and be reasonably quiet to allow the driver to focus on driving.

If issues will arise on and off the bus, Svoboda said students or parents should contact the transportation office so it can be resolved at a later time.

“Whenever there’s a complaint, or something wrong is happening on the bus, parents approach the bus driver,” she said. “They need to understand that we are on a schedule, and we have to stick to that schedule if we are going to perform our job safely.”

According to NHTSA, young drivers ages 15 to 20 years old are especially vulnerable to death and injury on roadways as traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for American teenagers.

Health Educator Sara Abdollahian of the Lorain County General Health District said that teenagers tend to take more risks while driving partly due to their overconfidence in their driving abilities.

Young drivers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors like speeding, tailgating, running red lights or violating traffic signs and signals. These risky behaviors not only pose a threat to themselves, but also to other students.

 “Teens need to remember that whether they are driving across town or just around the neighborhood, wearing their seat belt is the absolute best way to protect themselves and their passengers from severe injury or even fatalities in a motor vehicle crash,” she said. Drivers are 50 percent more likely to survive a crash if they are buckled up, Abdollahian added.