School buses proven safe for students, environment

(ARA) - Parents are tasked with making many decisions that affect the quality of education their children receive. One of those choices, transportation to and from school, plays a more important role than moms and dads may realize.

The yellow school bus is a reliable form of transportation that provides 26 million students with equal access to education daily. But not only does it enable their educational achievement, it does so in a manner that ensures their safety and that of the environment.

“Riding the bus is the safest, most efficient way to get children to school,” says John McKinney, vice president and general manager of Bus Vehicle Center for IC Corporation and member of the American School Bus Council. “Our industry’s commitment to updating buses, installing new safety features and properly training school bus drivers will help to ensure that the yellow school bus remains the safest mode of transportation for our nation’s students.”

According to the Transportation Research Board, a part of the National Academy of Science, a child is 13 times safer in a school bus than in other modes of travel. Teens driving to school or riding with other teenage drivers are 44 times more likely to be fatally injured than if they were riding in a school bus.

Part of what makes school buses so safe is their ability to be identified, thanks to their color and size. The bus's height provides the bus driver with good visibility and lifts the passenger compartment above a car’s point of impact. Buses are also more impact resistant than cars, due in part to high manufacturing standards.

Laws that require drivers to stop their cars when they see a school bus’ flashing red lights, help keep students safe. The stop sign that deploys during boarding and unloading and a crossing arm that forces children to walk where the bus driver can see them are additional safety features that help to protect children from harm’s way.

But it is not just the bus itself that provides safety measures, school bus drivers are trained not only to drive safely, but to identify signs of emotional and physical distress of the children they drive to and from school.

The American School Bus Council has created a downloadable book available at www.americanschoolbuscouncil.org that helps parents to prepare their children for the yellow school bus. The book, “Carmen Loves the Bus,” helps children understand what to expect from their bus ride and school bus driver and how to behave in a way that will ensure their safety and enjoyment.

Ride yellow and go green

Choosing the yellow school bus is also a safer transportation choice for the environment. According to industry estimates, the nation’s school bus transportation system carries more than half of the country’s children to school each day, saving an estimated 17.3 million cars from roads surrounding schools each morning. By reducing the number of cars on the road, it is estimated the school bus transportation system eliminates the need for 2.3 billion gallons of fuel annually.

School bus manufacturers also make large investments in new diesel, natural-gas, liquid propane injection (LPI), electric hybrid and other engines to further reduce pollution. All newly constructed school buses must meet new smog restriction regulations by reducing soot and smog-causing emissions by 90 and 95 percent, respectively.

In addition, since 2003 school bus operators have retrofitted more than 12,000 school buses with emissions-reduction technology through the help of the Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean School Bus grants.

“After working for years to make buses more environmentally friendly, we want to make sure our riders know how much of an impact they have on the environment by riding the yellow school bus,” says Charlie Hood, state director of transportation for the Florida Department of Education and member of the ASBC. “Parents and children who choose the school bus can take great pride in their eco-conscious decision.”

There’s another “green” benefit to riding the bus -- the kind in your wallet. The American School Bus Council estimates school buses help American parents save $6 billion per year in fuel costs, which amounts to a savings of $83 per child transported by the school bus.

For more information on the benefits of riding the school bus and safety tips, go to www.americanschoolbuscouncil.org.

Courtesy of ARA Content