A reminder to stress school bus safety

To the Times: During the week of October 21st, Pennsylvania joins the nation in celebration of National School Bus Safety Week.

During this time, safety stakeholders, including parents, students, teachers, motorists, state officials, school bus operators, school administrators and other interested parties join forces to underscore the importance of school bus safety in their schools and communities.

The school bus transportation community is proud of the safety record and reputation that shows school buses are indeed the safest way to get children to and from school every day. Many factors go into making school buses the safest form of transportation. Today’s school buses are equipped with flashing red lights, cross-view mirrors, and stop-sign arms. In addition, they also have protective seating, high crush standards, rollover protection features and are designed to be highly visible.

Today’s school buses are tougher, cleaner, safer and more diligently maintained than ever before. In addition, these buses are staffed by a dedicated workforce of experienced drivers well trained in safety procedures.

The Pennsylvania School Bus Association (PSBA) would like to shine a light on these

“safety heroes.” Each day, Pennsylvania’s school bus drivers transport approximately 1.5 million students traveling more than 400 million miles a year! Already on the job at the crack of dawn to conduct their pre-trip inspections, your child’s school bus driver has been wellschooled both in the classroom and behind the wheel.

During this School Bus Safety Week, on behalf of the PSBA membership, we say “thank you” to school bus drivers across our state for your commitment to our children and laser focus on safety.