The safest mode of transportation for children 

In Minnesota, school buses make at least 10,000 school bus trips daily. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, school buses are the safest mode of transportation for children — children are eight times safer riding in a bus to school than taking any other vehicles. 

Stop for school buses: It's the law. 

More children are killed outside of a school bus than they are as bus occupants. Motorists must anticipate children in a school bus “danger zone” — the area around a bus where most injuries and deaths occur.   

• State law requires all vehicles to stop for school buses when the bus driver activates the flashing lights and has the crossing arm fully extended. 
• Drivers who violate the law face a $500 fine. 
• Drivers can face criminal charges for passing a school bus on the right, passing when a child is outside the bus, or injuring or killing a child.  

Motorists

• Red flashing lights on buses indicate students are either entering or exiting the bus. Motorists must stop at least 20 feet from a school bus that is displaying red flashing lights or a stop arm when approaching from the rear and from the opposite direction on undivided roads. 
• Motorists are not required to stop for a bus if the bus is on the opposite side of a separated roadway (median, etc.) — but they should remain alert for children. 
• Motorists should slow down, pay attention and anticipate school children and buses, especially in neighborhoods and school zones. 
• The best way to be aware of your surroundings at all times is to put the distractions away. 

Students  

• When waiting for the bus, be patient, stand back from road and no running or rowdy behavior. 
• When on the bus, stay seated, listen to the driver and use quiet voices. 
• When getting off a bus, look to be sure no cars are passing on the shoulder. 
• Wait for the bus driver to signal that it’s safe to cross. 
• When crossing the street to get on the bus or to go home, make eye contact with motorists before proceeding.

School bus safety videos

Why don't school buses have seat belts? 

School bus designs are federally regulated to protect the children inside without the need to buckle up. They are larger and heavier than other vehicles, which means that the bus itself will take the bulk of the crash force, rather than the people inside. Everything from how tall the seats are to what they are made of is designed to keep your children safe. It protects the people inside the same way an egg carton protects the eggs. They are also far less likely to roll over in a crash.