Ahead of Children's Day, best practices for students' safety while in school bus transit

New Delhi: Safety is a key issue both for parents and school authorities when it comes to travel of students in the school buses. On the occasion of Children's Day on November 14, AppAlert, a real time school bus tracking system, offers best practices for student safety while in school bus commute. Educating students to ensure good and safe behavior on school bus can help to improve safety of students while in transit. Firstly, children must be educated about the so-called 'danger zone' around the school bus. The danger zone, according to the Ministry of Road Authority and Highways, is six feet from either side of the bus and ten feet in front of the bus. This is because it is difficult for the school bus driver or other commuters on the road to spot children within these dimensions. Secondly, children should board the bus only when it has come to a halt without rushing in or pushing others. Most of the injuries among students while in school bus commute occur at the time of boarding or de-boarding the bus. Third, it is essential for students to observe certain protocols while inside the school bus. Some of these include, always holding on to a handrail if standing in a moving bus, especially on sharp turns; not putting any part of their body outside a moving or stationary bus; school bags to be kept in authorized space under the seat or in bins over the head while the bus is in motion; to buckle up seat belts for those sitting in the front most row; or not to sit on the bus floor at any times. Children must also be taught not to be a distraction to the bus driver and to follow the driver's instructions. Fourth, young children must not be left alone to wait for the bus or for their parents on a busy bus stand, or one that is adjacent to a road with fast moving traffic. To ensure that children are picked up on time from the bus stop both while commuting to school and on their way back, parents can download the mobile application AppAlert that provides real-time track of the movements of the school bus and alerts the parent when the bus is about to arrive at their stop. "Our aim is to make school bus commute a convenient, informed and hassle-free process for both parents and the school authorities. With real-time and accurate tracking features of AppAlert, school authorities and parents can be instantly notified in case of a road accident, or long awaiting traffic," said Ashuvinder Singh, Founder and CEO of AppAlert. Lastly, parents must play the role of vigilant observers when it comes to school bus commute of their children. They should take notice of violations being made by the school bus and immediately report to the concerned authorities. Children learn by example and so parents must set a good example by meticulously observing every small traffic rule.