7x safer than the family car

Before you read any further, please take a moment to:

There’s no doubt about it: children need a safe way to get to school. And the fact is, school buses are 7x safer than the family car! They are designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in avoiding crashes and preventing injury.

Here are a few of their first-rate safety features:

In the U.S., school buses keep an annual estimated 17.3 million cars off roads surrounding schools each morning,

which means less congestion and ultimately fewer accidents! (American School Bus Council)

So why is it that parents continue to think that the family car is better suited for transporting their precious cargo?

More cars = more accidents

The number of children transported every weekday from home to school is steadily increasing and a study in the UK found that 20% of cars on the streets during morning peak traffic hours were taking children to school.

This is quite significant, because road traffic is the main cause of mortality for children under 15 years old and there needs to be more awareness raised among teachers, school children and their parents, on the higher level of flexibility, safety and security offered by buses and coaches.

School bus routes for increased road safety

The best way to increase road safety is by providing school bus transport to children who live further away from their school, or to children with special needs or circumstances.

Many countries have already taken these steps, such as Denmark, where school transport is provided according to a maximum distance limit, that increases stepwise from 2.5 km for the youngest classes to up to 9 km for older pupils.

Schools, governments and local authorities should co-operate to introduce school bus routes in order to decrease private car transport during peak hours. There would be fewer cars out on roads and eventually fewer accidents, which is a Smart Move for parents who want to give their children the safest possible solution for getting to school.