Did you know that the school bus is actually the most safe form of transportation for your child to take to and from school? Research shows that children who ride the bus to school are about 50 times more likely to arrive to school safe than if driven by a parent or teen driver. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the annual average of student fatalities during normal school travel hours for children being driven by a teen driver is 58%, while the average for children being driven by an adult or parent driver is 23%. However, the average of fatalities for children being transported by school bus is just 1%.

There are more benefits to school busses than just keeping your children safe. School busses also help keep the roadways safer, by decreasing traffic during peak travel hours, according to the NHTSA. School bus transportation is also a greener alternative to driving your children, by saving about 2.3 billion gallons of fuel,  and preventing 44.6 billion pounds of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the air. 

Although children, especially high-school aged children, may not always be thrilled to ride the bus, it is important that they do for their own safety and the safety of others. School busses provide a safe ride both to and from school, and help cut down on rush hour traffic, while also helping to keep the air and environment clean. With the upcoming school year just around the corner, be sure to keep these important points in mind, and send your child to school on the bus this year.