Jericho, NY - October 6, 2015 - School transportation leader First Student and leading safety advocate National Safety Council are teaming up to encourage safe bus behavior during back-to-school season and beyond with the nationwide Safety Dog Bus Tour.
The Safety Dog Bus Tour will be at Jericho High School, 99 Cedar Swamp Road, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Oct. 17 as part of the school’s homecoming festivities. First Student is proud to be the bus transportation provider of the Jericho School District for more than 20 years, operating a fleet of 191 buses to transport 5,000 students each day. The seven-city Safety Dog Bus Tour is focused on reaching elementary school students and their parents. At the Jericho event, children will learn simple but effective safety tips as they get a chance to sign a Safety Pledge and “Walk the Yellow Carpet.” They can also meet and have a photo taken with Safety Dog, the safety mascot for First Student. Parents can see firsthand how First Student buses are designed for safety inside and out.
Riding a school bus remains the safest way to transport a child to and from school. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are 23 times safer than passenger cars and 10 times safer than walking.
Industry leader First Student completes six million student journeys each day, moving more passengers than all U.S. airlines combined. Student safety is at the heart of everything the company does, which is why First Student is twice as safe as the industry average as measured by both collisions and injuries. First Student is the only school transportation company in the industry to be awarded the coveted National Safety Council Green Cross for Safety® medal, the highest award for safety in North America.
“First Student and the National Safety Council share a common mission to serve as advocates for making the world safer, working to keep safety always front of mind for our employees and the communities we serve,” said First Student President Dennis R. Maple. “There is a great deal of trust placed in First Student and our drivers. It’s important that we all work together to ensure the safety of our school children, and we’re excited to deliver important safety messages for back-to-school in a fun and memorable way.”
“Like millions of parents across the country, I put my children on a school bus each morning, knowing that they will arrive at the destination safely,” said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. “First Student’s Safety Dog Bus Tour provides parents a more intimate look at the big yellow school bus – the very best option for transporting our most precious cargo.”
Parents, teachers and students can find tour dates, times, locations, safety tips and downloadable activities by visiting safetydogbustour.com. Safety tips and tour updates also can be found by following First Student on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The National Safety Council will share updates on Twitter and Facebook as well.
For parents, teachers and students who want to engage in the conversation, the hashtag #SafetyDogBusTour will be used on all platforms.
About First Student, Inc.
As the leading school transportation solutions provider in North America, First Student strives to provide the best start and finish to every school day. First Student completes six million student journeys each day, moving more passengers than all U.S. airlines combined. With a team of highly-trained drivers and the industry’s strongest safety record, First Student delivers reliable, quality services including full-service transportation and management, special-needs transportation, route optimization and scheduling, and charter services for 1,300 school district contracts. For more information, please visit firststudentinc.com.
About the National Safety Council
Founded in 1913 and chartered by Congress, the National Safety Council is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to save lives by preventing injuries and deaths at work, in homes and communities, and on the road through leadership, research, education and advocacy. NSC advances this mission by partnering with businesses, government agencies, elected officials and the public in areas where we can make the most impact – distracted driving, teen driving, workplace safety, prescription drug overdoses and Safe Communities.
Sampling of Safety Tips
For Parents:
- Introduce yourself and your child to the bus driver. This way, your child will be sure to get on the right bus for the return trip home. (Your child’s teacher also will be there to help.)
- Keep your child a safe distance from the street and at least 10 giant steps away from the bus as it pulls up to the bus stop.
- If your child misses the bus, don’t chase the bus to another stop. The bus driver may not see your child if he or she is behind the bus and may start to drive away.
- Reassure your child that you or a trusted caregiver will be at bus stop when he or she returns home.
- Wait on the same side of the street as the bus drop off. This will prevent your child from having to cross the street.
For Students:
- Pay attention by looking up and around. Save listening to music, texting or playing games for later.
- Wait for the bus to completely stop before you approach it and before you stand up to get off.
- Keep your backpack free of keychains, zipper pulls and tags because they can get caught in bus doors and on handrails. Same goes for hoodies and jackets with drawstrings.
- Keep your head, arms and papers inside the bus windows at all times.
- If you drop something near the bus, don’t pick it up. The driver may not see you. Instead, ask the driver for help.
