Something as simple and seemingly innocent as riding the bus to and from school each day may not give you much cause for alarm. You trust both your children and your children’s school bus driver to be safe and to use common sense at all times. However, hundreds of children each year are hurt in this country while either walking to the bus stop or riding between their school and home. You can keep your children safe by reminding them of these safety precautions and being ready to act in the event they are hurt while taking the Sugar Land school bus.

Get to the Bus Stop Early

Kids who rush to get to the bus stop on time find themselves suffering more injuries than their peers who arrived early to catch the bus. When they have to run to avoid missing their ride, kids are more likely to get hurt. Some of the injuries that could arise from being tardy to the bus stop include:

• Skinned knees
• Sprained ankles
• Strained arms and elbows from swinging heavy book bags
• Pulled muscles
• Asthma attacks from having to run without proper warm up

Rather than having to hustle, your child can stay safe and avoid these risks by getting to the bus stop five minutes before the bus’s arrival time.

Make Sure the Driver Sees Passers-by in front of the Bus

Your children may be like so many other kids who bound off the bus and eagerly run toward home once they arrive to their after-school bus stop. However, kids who pass too close in front of the bus often are not in full view of the driver. The driver could put the bus into drive and head off to the next stop, never knowing that there are children in front of the vehicle. You should remind your children that they should make sure the driver can see them before they pass in front of the bus and head home. If they cannot see the driver themselves, it is fair to know that the driver cannot see them. As young as they are, children need to be reminded that they could be run over and hurt or killed if they walk too closely in front of the bus.

Stay Seated While on the Bus

Most buses do not have seat belts. As such, bus drivers know all too well the frustration and anxiety that comes when kids are bounding out of their seats and standing up while the bus is in motion. If the driver has to stop suddenly or swerve to avoid hitting something in the road, kids who are not in their seats properly could get hurt. You should remind your children that they need to stay seated at all times when the bus is moving and that they also should not put their heads or limbs outside the bus windows. Even if their friends are misbehaving, your children should understand that they need to obey the seating rules if they want to stay safe and avoid injuries.

Acting Quickly in Case of Bus-Related Injuries

If one of your kids does get hurt while walking to and from the bus stop or riding the bus, it can be imperative that you act quickly to get proper medical help. You can get that help when you come to SignatureCare Emergency Center. Doctors and nurses there handle trauma cases that range from broken bones to concussions or worse. Your child can get x-rays, lab work, and other immediate medical services to help minimize the pain and stop the injury from worsening. When time is of the essence and you want your child helped quickly and professionally, you can trust the staff at SignatureCare Emergency Center in Mission Bend to assess the situation and provide the best of care.

Riding the bus each day is routine for many children. Even so, you should teach your kids the basics of how to stay safe and avoid injuries while riding the bus to and from school.