Travel by school bus is one of the safest modes of transportation. Some people are concerned about the lack of seat belts, but the interior of school buses is designed to protect the occupants in a collision without seat belts. Adding seat belts may not improve the safety of these vehicles.

Despite the safety features of school buses, injuries from school bus incidents do occur. The biggest risk to school bus passengers is during the loading and unloading of the bus. Most school bus collisions involve a bus being struck by another vehicle from behind or children being struck while exiting or approaching a school bus.

Key Messages

Recommend to your clients that:

• Children should arrive at least 5 minutes before the bus comes.
• Children should walk, not run, to the bus.
• Children should stay away from using a mobile device or gadgets until they are in a safe location.
• It’s a good idea to walk the bus route with their child until they know how to get to the bus stop safely.
• It’s a good idea to teach their children about pedestrian safety and safe behaviour while they’re on and off the bus.

For more information refer your clients to School Bus Safety found on MyHealth.Alberta.ca