School Bus Stop Safety Expert Article

School buses require ongoing diligence from drivers and transportation managers to ensure that students remain safe at each stage of the journey. The bus stop itself represents a point of vulnerability, with the potential for catastrophic conflicts between students and traffic.

In this article, School Bus & Student Transportation Expert, Benjamin Bernhart, will discuss different aspects related to the standard of care at school bus stops.

The Standard of Care for School Bus Stop Safety 

The National Congress on School Transportation provides a foundation for the standards of care related to school bus safety. Each state is responsible for interpreting those standards of care by creating and implementing their own operational regulations.

Bus Stop Risk Identification

The National State of Pupil Transportation Services projects that millions of vehicles illegally pass school buses with flashing lights annually. The first line of defense for student safety at bus stops is for the school bus driver, their supervisor, and the entity that employs the school bus personnel to recognize critical and potential bus stop risk factors:

• Age of students
• Disabilities and/or special transportation needs of students
• Security threats
• Visibility (darkness, artificial lighting, daylight)
• Number of students at the stop
• Physical location of the bus stop
• Amount of traffic on the roadway
• Traffic control devices (stop signs, traffic lights, etc.)
• Terrain surrounding the bus stop           
• Speed limit of the roadway
• Weather effects on the bus stop (rain, snow, ice, wind, fog, etc.)
• Proximity to known registered sexual offenders

When creating bus stop routes, an inherent risk assessment of all bus stops is critical. This task can be completed by a specially trained routing professional and reviewed by their supervisor. Risk factors at a particular bus stop can also change throughout the year, therefore periodic assessment of each bus stop is important to mitigate risk and ensure bus stop safety.

School bus drivers are expected to identify route hazards and recognize potential bus stop risks. If they identify potential unsafe conditions prior to and at a school bus stop, they are required to follow protocols which typically include contact with a supervisor, school administration, a written report, and corrective action.

Communications

School bus stop communication between the driver and students is critical.  The driver is expected to communicate and teach bus stop safety to students.  Some of these expectations can include:

• The designation of specific wait areas
• The distance the students should stand from the roadway
• Bus stop arrival and pick up time
• Safe procedures / actions students should take if they drop personal items outside of the bus
• The location and distance that students should be from the bus when crossing
• The safety procedures and signals communicated to the students by the bus driver when crossing the roadway
• The safety procedures when deboarding the school bus and the techniques used to ensure it is safe to cross the roadway
• Expected behaviors while riding the school bus

School bus drivers also provide a host of non-verbal communications at school bus stops to ensure student pedestrian safety.

The amber warning lights, along with the red warning lights, the stop sign, brake lights and turn signals are all forms of non-verbal communication that alert drivers and pedestrians to the likelihood of a child entering or exiting the bus and possibly exposed to traffic while crossing the street.

The bus driver signaling to students that it is okay to cross the street is also an important non-verbal communication tool to ensure safe student safety to and from the school bus.

An expert investigation following an incident at a school bus stop will involve a review of route maps, stop hazard analysis, written reports, training documents, driver logs, and camera footage.

School Transportation Experts

Among the supervision experts at Robson Forensic are former School Bus Drivers, Directors of School Transportation in both public and private sectors, Certified School Bus Driver Trainers, CDL Examiners, Certified Special Needs Transportation professionals, School Bus Routing Experts and School Administrators. Robson Forensic has the experts and capacity to address all avenues of investigation and litigation involving student safety.

For more information, submit an inquiry or call us at 800.813.6736.

Featured Expert

Benjamin L. Bernhart, CSNT

School Bus & Student Transportation Expert

Benjamin Bernhart is an expert in student transportation with experience as a school bus driver and driver trainer, bus depot supervisor, and school district Director of Transportation. He applies his… read more.