Print the NHTSA Activities Book

Student safety is the primary concern of our Transportation Department

Statistics show that the most dangerous time for students is before getting on and/or after they get off the bus.  The WISD Transportation Department considers the environment and age of the students when placing bus stops. We attempt to place every bus stop at a location with reasonable safety assurances for students. Parents must assume the responsibility for their students traveling back and forth from home to the stop.

Bus Stop Location

Waxahachie ISD creates bus stops using the following criteria:

• Eliminate students at elementary levels crossing busy streets where possible and reduce the number of students at secondary levels crossing busy streets at their stops.
• Establish stops where students may have the ability to stand off the roadway while waiting for the bus.
• Locate the stops to maximize visibility for both students and traffic (100' minimum visibility).
• Avoid locations that expose students to traffic hazards and reduce the number of hazards for students crossing the street.  (As an example, we will not normally stop on busier parts of Marvin Avenue, Main Street, Hwy. 77 or John Arden Drive.)
• Place the stops in locations way from non-traffic hazards such as railroad tracks, commercial areas, or areas with bad dogs.
• Place the stops at least 100 feet away from intersections with 2,3 or 4-way stops, if possible, to better control traffic in the area immediately around the bus.
• Avoid stops in cul-de-sacs and narrow residential streets to minimize accident risks caused by buses backing up to turn around. 
• Place stops on streets with as little traffic as possible.
• Create a buffer zone between students and the bus both in the neighborhoods and at school to keep students from being struck by the bus.

School Bus Danger Zones

The most dangerous time for a student riding the school bus is the loading and unloading process. It is critical that students are visible to the driver and yet out of the bus danger zones while the bus is still in motion. This rule applies to loading and unloading both in the neighborhoods and at schools. If students are crossing the street, they should move immediately 10 feet away from the bus door and ahead of the bus at least 15 feet out of the danger zone, then proceed in front of the bus before crossing the street.

Never walk along side or behind a school bus. Never walk across the on-coming lane with out stopping first and checking to see if a vehicle, which may be behind the bus, is pulling out to pass in the on-coming lane of traffic.

Activities Booklet* 

*This is a 20 page booklet.  Do not try to print from the web.  Save to your desktop and print a few pages at a time.