1000 SW Jackson Suite 230
Topeka, KS 66612-1274
(785) 296-1223
(785) 296-8649 (FAX)

Coordinator:
Jan Stegelman

Executive Committee:
Randall Bolin
NHTSA Region VII

Dennis Cooley, MD
Medical Advisor
American Academy of
Pediatrics, Kansas
Chapter

John Drees
Douglas County
SAFE KIDS Coalition

John Halbran
Kansas Safety Belt
Education Office

Jim Keating
Kansas State
Firefighters Association

Elena Nuss
Kansas State
Fire Marshal's Office

Cindy Samuelson
Kansas Hospital Association

'Eight Giant Steps': Keeping Out of School Bus Blind Spots

Oct. 15-21 is National School Bus Safety Week

October 15-21 is National School Bus Safety Week, and Safe Kids Kansas reminds parents and caregivers that more than 25 children each year die in pedestrian accidents involving school buses. In fact, three times as many children are killed in school bus accidents while getting on or off the bus than while riding it. The theme of this year’s observance is “ Be Aware — Cross with Care.”

“Teach your children about the 10-foot danger zone around the school bus, where the driver can’t see children on the ground,” says Jan Stegelman, Safe Kids Kansas coordinator. “Young children should take eight giant steps away from the bus to be sure the bus driver can see them. Older kids who must cross the street should look to the bus driver for an ‘OK’ sign before crossing, and always cross in front of the bus.”

Kids should stand on the grass or sidewalk while waiting for the bus and not enter the street until the driver has opened the door of the bus. “Kids tend to run toward the bus. Don’t let them,” says Stegelman.

Safe Kids Kansas also offers children these reminders from the School Bus Information Council:

• The bus driver and others cannot see you if you are standing within 10 feet of the bus. Stay out of the danger zone!
• If something falls under or near the bus, tell the driver. Never try to pick it up yourself!
• When you get on or off the bus, look for the bus safety lights and make sure they are flashing.
• Be alert to traffic. When you get on or off the bus, look left, right, left before you enter or cross the street.

Drivers should be reminded not to pass a school bus with its lights flashing. In Kansas, it is against the law to pass a stopped school bus from either direction when the school bus red lights are activated.

“School buses are, by far, the safest way for kids of all ages to get to and from school,” says Stegelman. “School buses are designed with safety features no other vehicles have. The padded, high-backed seats on school buses are close together to create protective compartments, like egg cartons.” According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the rate of crash-related fatalities on school buses is 0.2 per million miles traveled, compared to 1.5 for cars.

National School Bus Safety Week is held every year in the third week of October and led by the National Association for Pupil Transportation, the National Association of State Directors of Pupil Transportation Services, the National School Transportation Association and the Pupil Transportation Safety Institute.

For details, visit www.napt.org.

Safe Kids Kansas, Inc. is a nonprofit Coalition of 67 statewide organizations and businesses dedicated to preventing accidental injuries to Kansas children ages 0-14. Local coalitions and chapters are located in Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Clay, Coffey, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Ellis, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Leavenworth, Marion, Meade, Mitchell, Montgomery, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Republic, Rice, Riley, Saline, Smith, Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Wilson and Woodson Counties, as well as the cities of Chanute, Emporia, Leavenworth, Norton, Pittsburg, the Wichita Area and the Metro Kansas City Area. Safe Kids Kansas is a member of Safe Kids Worldwide , a global network of organizations whose mission is to prevent accidental childhood injury.