by Bernard D. Nomberg, Partner, The Nomberg Law Firm
Back to school season is upon us once again. Backpacks are being filled with school supplies and new teacher orientations attended. With the new school year beginning, it’s important to prepare beyond the ordinary shopping list.
According to the Alabama State Department of Education, 49.1% of students take the bus to school each day. To ensure the well-being of those students, the transportation department made safety improvements over the summer break to the buses shuttling kids back and forth each day.[1] Such protective measures included the installment of automatic brakes that engage when a bus driver gets too close to a car in front and driver assist when the bus is cruising on wet roads.[2]
Even with the added precautions taken by the department of transportation of adding safety features within the bus itself, the safety of the student in your home is still your responsibility. For those students that ride the bus, steps can be taken on your own to make the trip safer.
- Arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to arrive.
- When waiting at the bus stop, stay out of the road and keep your child from letting their play get out of hand.
- Wait for the bus to stop completely before approaching the bus to board.
- Instruct your child to remain seated on the bus and keep their arms and legs inside the windows at all times.
- Convey the importance of not distracting the driver by shouting or playing to your bus rider.
- Show your child the bus’s blind spot – which is anywhere within ten feet of the front of the bus – and instruct them not to walk within it.
- Teach your child to only cross the street and designated crosswalks and to obey traffic signals and signs.
- When walking home from the bus stop, tell your child to take the same route each day, never to use a short cut, and to avoid strangers by keeping their distance from anyone they don’t know.
- Encourage them to make friends at their bus stop so they can walk home from the stop together each day.[3]
Getting to school should never be a source of injury or anxiety. By talking with your child about the potential dangers and the precautions they should take to keep safety within their control, you can be sure that the only worry you’ll have is relearning math to help your student finish their homework this year. For more information, please click here: https://www.nhtsa.gov/road-safety/school-bus-safety
If you find yourself or a loved one having been injured from a bus incident, please consider contacting The Nomberg Law Firm. We are located in Birmingham, Alabama. Office number is 205-930-6900. For further information, please visit our website: Nomberglaw.com.
Bernard D. Nomberg has been a lawyer for more than 20 years. Bernard has earned an AV rating from Martindale-Hubbell’s peer-review rating. In 2018, Bernard was named a Super Lawyer for the 6th year in a row and he was recognized as one of the Top 50 Lawyers in Alabama.
[1] https://www.wbrc.com/2019/04/30/improving-school-bus-safety-with-new-technologies/.
[2] Id.