Students all travel to school many ways, whether walking, biking, riding or driving in cars with family or friends, or in school buses. When school starts, students, are often distracted and thinking about school. To help keep all people safe as they are heading to and from school, here are some traffic tips:
Teen and Adult Drivers
- When leaving a driveway or garage, watch for children walking or biking.
- Wear a seatbelt – every trip, every time. Each person in the car should be wearing a seat belt, no matter where they are sitting. Kids 8 and under should ride in a car seat
- Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks. When someone is walking in the crosswalk, they have the right-of-way.
- Stay alert! Watch for children who may be thinking about getting to school, but may not be thinking about getting there safely. This will help you to be ready to stop when needed.
- Make sure you know where designated pick up and drop off sites, parking lots, and crosswalks are so students get in and out of school safely.
- Slow down! Watch for children walking in the street, (be more careful in places where there are no sidewalks). Watch for children playing and waiting near bus stops. Driving the speed limit lessens the chance of being in a crash, and of being seriously hurt if a crash does happen.
- Learn and follow the school bus laws in our state. If the red lights are flashing and the stop sign is out, you must stop your car (coming from either side) and stay stopped until the lights stop flashing, stop sign is withdrawn, and the bus starts moving again.
- Allow plenty of time to get where you are going, until you can learn about the traffic on your drive.
Children
- Get to the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus comes.
- Stand three giant steps (6 feet) or more away from the curb, and line up away from the street.
- Wait until the school bus stops, the door opens, and the driver says that it’s okay before getting on or off the bus.
- Use hand rails to keep from falling. When leaving the bus, be careful that your clothes, strings, and book bag straps don’t get caught in the hand rails or doors.
- Never walk behind the bus.
- Walk at least three giant steps away from the bus.
- If you drop something near the bus, tell the bus driver before picking it up.
Parents
- Teach children and teens to follow these rules to help them get to school safely.
- Talk with your teen drivers and remind them to be extra careful in and around school zones and school buses.
- Carpool when you can. It can make the line of cars shorter, parking lots less full, and even save money.
Traffic tips are gathered from the Nebraska Highway Traffic Safety Administration-NHTSA. For more information on school bus safety, reach out to Four Corners Health Department at 402-362-2621 or email your questions to: info@fourcorners.ne.gov.