Blog

When your children leave the house to go to school, how sure are you that they are safe and secure both going to school and whilst going on trips and excursions during school time.

Most parents have no idea how their kids are progressing once they get onto the school bus until they come home later in the day. School Travel Manager is a new passenger management tracking & monitoring system that shows school authorities and parents exactly where and when the students are at any point in transit.

Getting to School

The first journey your child has to contend with is to get to school, some schools lay on buses, some parents drive their kids and some students take public transport or walk.

It all depends on the circumstances of where the home and school are situated, and the transport situation available.

Getting to and from school can be a hazardous journey and it is totally unsupervised by either school or parent.

It is a good idea even if your child is old enough to walk to school that you as a parent first walk the route with them and qualify possible hazards. These could include crossing busy roads, avoiding dangerous obstacles etc. Assessing related risks and providing adequate solutions is a big step towards your child’s safety and your peace of mind.

A safe route to school has few intersections, and when they do form a potential hazard you should choose one that has a crossing guard. The entire route should be on the pavement and well lit.

Implementing Measures

There are certain measures you can implement that will help your walk to school and here are some of the tips:-

• Younger children should always be accompanied by an adult
• Walk with your friends, never alone
• Stick to the route identified by your parents and do not be tempted with any shortcuts
• Near the road or street, do not push or chase your friends
• Never take a lift from stranger
• Always approach the school bus from the front
• Stay in view of the driver at all times especially getting on and off the bus
• Wear high visibility clothing whilst walking
• Always watch out for what is on the road
• Obey all traffic signs and signals

Finally on your child’s walking route, ensure there are several safe spots along the way. Make sure your child is aware of restaurants, libraries, shops, friend’s houses so if anything does scare them they can seek help.

In Transit

Having addressed the issue of getting to the bus stop or walking to school, how do you make sure that your child is safe traveling on the school bus?

Firstly when they are boarding or alighting the bus it must be stationery and never moving. Whilst getting on or off the vehicle make sure the driver can see then all the time.

Children should never try to get on board a bus from behind, they should always approach the vehicle from the front so the driver can see them. Once on board the child should take a seat and buckle up if seatbelts are available. Once the bus is moving the children should never move around the bus.

The aforementioned travel management software from School Travel Manager lets parents and schools know exactly when the children have boarded and departed the vehicle, plus there is a real time facility of messages that can be sent to and from the driver whilst the children are in transit.

The safety and security of our children whilst getting to and from school is of utmost importance, they are the most valuable asset society has and no corner should be cut in their safety.