School bus safety is everyone's concern

It's back-to-school time and yellow school buses are out in full force.

Today's school buses are the safest, most technologically advanced they have ever been. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, riding a school bus is the safest way for children to get to and from school, even safer than the family car.

There are more than 475,000 school buses on the road each year, so we all must be vigilant in making sure children travel to school safely.

Parents should remind their children to stay 10 giant steps away from the outside of a school bus to make sure the driver can see them at all times.

Motorists should take extra care when approaching a school bus, knowing that children are likely to be near a stopped bus or riding inside.

School bus transportation plays an important part in ensuring all children have access to education, since for many it is their only means of getting to school.

So let's all use extra caution when on the road and help keep our nation's children safe as they ride to and from school this year.

Charles Bruce

Chief Operating Officer

First Student, Inc.

Cincinnati, Ohio