BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (WBKO) – The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports less than 1% of all traffic fatalities involve children on school transportation vehicles, though this doesn’t account for accidents that may happen while approaching or leaving the bus.
When it comes to keeping students safe on the bus, Warren County Public Schools’ Transportation Director Chip Jenkins says parents should ensure students have an understanding of bus and traffic safety.
“Always look up and watch your surroundings, watch the traffic around them at the bus stops. When our bus driver arrives at the stop, watch that driver,” Jenkins said. “They will make sure that the bus has come to a complete stop, stop arms out and that will have a visual to make sure there’s no incoming cars.”
Jenkins says being mindful of bus drivers goes double for those sharing the road.
“When buses slow down, [motorists] need to back off and allow the buses to come to a complete stop, watch and make sure that the children are boarded safely and allow that bus to travel on,” Jenkins said. “So they just need to really watch and keep an eye out for the big yellow school bus going up down the road.”
As an extra safety measure the Warren County Sheriff’s Office will again have troopers following buses for the first few weeks, where bus drivers see more high-volume traffic.
“We typically had people try to run the stop arms on buses. So they’ll be out following those buses, making sure that people obey the laws, stop, and keep the safety of the children first during the route times.”
Jenkins says safety has always been the top priority of the department, with drivers going through multiple training sessions to ensure a smooth ride.
“We go through what we call ‘state curriculum training’, which is requirements to have your, what they call an ‘S and P’ endorsement. That’s a school bus and passenger endorsement,” Jenkins said.
Jenkins says all the headway the department has made wouldn’t be possible without the help and patience of the community.
“I just want to thank everyone for helping the school district and transportation in making our jobs easier,” Jenkins said. “It’s a challenge, but it’s a challenge we all like to meet and take care of because we love our students.”
Jenkins recommends parents with specific concerns or questions should contact their child’s school or their area manager.
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