Recently, I was teaching a fledgling          *      up ride to school. Order at the bus

school bus driver a bus route. As we       *    stop makes for a more orderly ride,

drove along I was giving her a            *     Let your supervisor know when you

narrative of everything I was seeing, as     *     have an unsafe bus stop that needs his

well as doing. As we approached a bus    *      or her attention. An ounce of

stop, I said, "You'll notice that I don't       *     prevention is worth a pound of cure,

pull up even with the students. I             *      Are you aware of the motorists behind

always stop ten feet before the stop and   *    you as well as any than might be

let the children walk to me." Just as I        *       approaching you? Have you given

said that, a little boy pushed the boy         *       them ample warning with your

that was at the head of the line and           *       yellows that you are getting ready to

caused him to fall forward into the            *       stop? Do you have eye contact with

road. I was rendered speechless, as       *       the approaching motorist? Is he or she

was the driver who was riding with me.    *      on cell phone? Is he or she looking

I then went on to say, "Now you've          *       straight ahead, then- mind on other

seen why we don't pull up even with         *       things? Are you covering the horn

the children at the bus stop. We would      *      with one hand, ready to sound a

have hit that little boy."                              *    warning in case the person looks like

As a professional school bus driver,          *     they are going to run your reds? So

your eyes should be scanning the               *       much to think about, even before you

upcoming school bus stop before you         *      stop!

pick up your students and before you          *     As the children board the bus, are

drop them off in the afternoon. In the           *     you alert to straps or keychains that

morning, you should be thinking; How         *      might be dangling? Do you ask them

many students do I usually get at this           *       to "tuck" these hazards in? Do you

stop? Are they going to be here, or will       *       remind them to tie their shoe laces

one be running late and chase the bus          *       when you see them untied? Are you

as I start to pull away? Are there any           *       watching for items such as knives or

mothers at the stop? If so, are they            *       umbrellas with sharp points that could

watching the children, or are they                 *     cause an injury or damage to the bus?

socializing with the other mothers,                 *    Do you encourage children to hold on

coffee cups in hand? Are there dogs             *    to the handrail? Do you wait until all

running loose at the bus stop that might          *    of your students are seated before

distract the children, causing them not             *   moving the bus? A lunch or a book

to think about the danger zone around             *  left behind on the ground could

the bus? Are their little siblings at the               *   indicate a child forgot something and

bus stop waiting to see their brother or            *   ran home. Could this child be running

sister go off to school on the big bus?               *   back to the bus stop now?

Are the mommies holding tightly on to              *  There is no margin for error when

their hands? Is the mother waiting on                *   you approach a school bus stop. Your

the opposite side of the road? If there               *  students need 100% of your attention,

are no mothers at the bus stop, are the             *   You have to leave your worries and

children unruly, "horsing" around,                     *   problems at home. Think school bus

chasing each other? Horse play carries              *   Safety - One stop at a time,

over on to the bus, creating a charged