As The School Buses Return, Follow These Safety Tips

Students, teachers and parents alike are all gearing up for a return to the classroom as school are beginning to open back up this month. There is a lot of excitement and anxiousness in the air as students wonder what their new grade will be like, teachers are uncertain about how their students will like them and parents are worried about their children getting what they need from their time in school. All of these concerns and uncertainties are important, but they pale in comparison to the need to be safe when you are driving around school buses so you can avoid a New Haven auto accident with a bus.

Even if you are not in the group of people that is mentioned above, you will still need to understand that school is back in session. You will likely start to see more children on the move in the mornings on your way in to the office. There will be more traffic on the roads at earlier times of the day. School buses will dot the lanes that you normally can cruise through. These are all things that are going to happen to you in the coming days whether you have school-aged children or not. It is important that you make sure you are aware that this change is coming and be prepared with the safety tools you need to make sure you do not put yourself or others at risk of being injured as a result of sharing the road with this renewed level of traffic that comes with the return to school.

Parents of children who ride the bus should be providing their children with instructions on how to ride the bus safely and avoid getting into any dangerous situations. This is the responsibility of parents, bus drivers and teachers to make sure that when a child is boarding the bus or getting off the bus they are following all of the safety precautions necessary. While this is not your primary objective when sharing the road with buses, you will have your owns safety steps you should be taking to make sure that you are doing your part to keep all kids safe as they head back to school.

You should take into account the following safety tips to make sure you are sharing the road with buses in a way that will insure the safety of all children and adults alike.

1.) STOP! It is mandatory in the state of Connecticut when a bus comes to a complete stop and the flashing red stop sign extends out from the side of the bus that you stop. This is important no matter which side of the road you are on. The bus may be picking up or dropping off students and if you do not follow the stop sign you could be putting these kids at risk.

2.) Be patient. When you are in a hurry to get to work or home from work and you get “stuck” behind a school bus that might be traveling slower then you would like, it can be tempting to get impatient and start to feel some stress around the situation. It may be smart for you to leave your house a few minutes earlier or later then usual to avoid the time when you will be on the bus route.

3.) Keep an eye out for children. This one might go without being said, but the truth of the matter is, generally speaking, where there are buses there are likely to be kids. Kids are not usually on the lookout for passing cars when they are getting on or off the bus and that is why it is incumbent upon you to make sure you are focused on the road in front of you and keeping an eye out for kids who may not be paying close enough attention.

4.) Do not pass a school bus. This is a critical piece of safety that you should always follow. When a school bus is stopped, even if it does not have it’s stop sign extended you should not pass it. You never know if kids will be getting off or on the bus and if you’re not careful you could put these kids at risk of getting injured if you attempt to pass the school bus.

Getting into a New Haven auto accident with a school bus can be extremely serious. In a best case scenario you will get into an accident with an empty bus. In a worst case scenario, it will be full of kids who are not generally wearing safety belts and can be put at grave risk of injury if an accident were to occur. If you follow the safety steps above you should be in a great position to limit the chances that any children or adults will be harmed as a result of increased bus traffic as the school year begins.

When an accident happens it can be important that you find assistance in sorting out the details of the situation. You may need to speak with an experienced attorney who can review your circumstance and work with you to understand your situation. Contact our office and one of our attorneys will work on protecting your long-term interests.