We often pass out toolkits to parents of prospective kindergarten students, to explain to them why the school bus is the best form of transportation for their children to get to school. While it is especially important to help worried parents who have never sent their kids on a bus before, the information we shared with them is something all students and parents can benefit from. Stick with us as we explain the main reasons why all students, from elementary to high school, should ride the bus to school!
School buses are the safest vehicle on the road! Due to a combination of factors, your kids are about 50x more likely to arrive to school safely when riding on the school bus rather than a standard car. School buses are built like egg cartons: with a method called “compartmentalization.” The staggered seating and high, sturdy back supports keep your kids safe by absorbing energy in case of a collision. In the rare chance of a collision, a school bus distributes crash force differently, and delivers much less force to passengers than standard vehicles.
School bus drivers love your kids and care about the safety of every student they transport. They are trained professionals who put a lot of effort and passion into their careers. All school bus drivers undergo 4 different background checks, take part in at least 20 hours of school bus-specific instruction, pass four extensive knowledge tests, and pass on the road driving tests. Drivers must refresh their knowledge every 4 years with at least 10 hours of training to ensure that your kids are always in good hands.
Often times, buses transport kids from a variety of grades, classes, and ages, which allows kids to interact with kids other than the ones that sit next to them in the classroom. The time on the bus provides children with much needed socialization to wake up before school, and to wind down after school. Sometimes, kids’ best friends end up being the ones they make on the school bus.
Every individual school bus replaces around 36 cars on the road, which collectively keeps 17 million cars off the road every day. This means a lot less traffic on the road in the mornings and afternoons, so everyone has a safer and easier commute! Congestion around and in school zones is a problem in most school districts; this problem can be eliminated the more kids ride their school buses!
Going off of our last point, school buses keep many cars off the road, which prevents needless carbon emissions. Without buses, the average family car would drive an extra 3,900 miles annually to drop off students at school. Collectively, buses prevent 62,399,998,800 miles from being driven by family cars, saving 3 billion gallons of gas. Plus, when your kids ride the bus, you can save the money you would have spent on gas! Recent advancements in diesel technology have made it so diesel emissions are 90% cleaner at the tailpipe than they were 10 years ago, so buses are becoming greener and greener every day. Not to mention, electric school buses are becoming more common, eliminating noise pollution and tailpipe emissions completely!
Thank you for reading all of our reasons why riding the bus is so good for children and the community, and feel free to let us know any other benefits of riding the bus that you can think of!
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