Open House: What should be done to ensure safety of children travelling by school buses?

Reckless drivers need to be discouraged

It is no secret that the safety of children travelling by school buses in the district has declined to the point where a number of students have lost their lives. Though increased vehicular traffic is generally blamed for such accidents, school bus drivers exacerbate the situation by frequently driving recklessly in order to pick up students from various locations and arrive at their destination within a specific time-frame. In the context of these facts, it is heartening to note that district administration has made all 1,292 private and government-aided school heads in the district responsible for the safety the children travelling in buses by conforming to the safety guidelines of the Safe School Vahan Scheme. It is important to understand that parents bear the primary responsibility for their children’s safety, especially when they make their own arrangements for the child’s commute to and from the school. However, if school buses are chosen as an alternative, it is critical to educate the children about school bus safety rules and guidelines. By instilling these lessons in our children at an early age, we can help create a safe and secure environment for them on their way to and from school.

Novin Christopher

Students’ safety top priority

The safety of students travelling in school buses is our topmost priority and no compromise in this regard will be tolerated at any cost. Those found violating the rules and not conforming to the laid down norms will be dealt with strictly. — Sakshi Sawhney, Deputy Commissioner

Police must maintain list of drivers

Each school day, lakhs of children use school buses as is it seen as an economical and often the safest mode of transport on roads. However, about one per cent of total traffic casualties involve children in school buses or vans. It’s important for drivers, parents, school teachers and students to understand the norms for school bus safety to minimise accidents and fatalities. By law, the school buses must travel at a safe speed, keeping in consideration the volume of traffic, intersections, road bends, bus stands, railway stations and any other condition requiring special attention. GPS and CCTV have been made compulsory in school buses. Kids must be at the bus stand five minutes prior to the arrival of the bus, and must not to cross the road behind a bus. They must stay seated and talk quietly in the bus as the driver needs to concentrate on driving. The must avoid quarrels, shouting or using foul language in the bus. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has issued a number of guidelines for school buses for the safety and security of children, a few of which are being mentioned here: ‘School Bus’ must be prominently written on the back and front of every bus carrying schoolchildren. If it is a hired bus, ‘On School Duty’ should be prominently displayed. The bus should not carry children more than the permitted seating capacity. Buses must have a first aid box as well as a fire extinguisher. Windows of the bus must be fitted with horizontal grills and doors should be fitted with reliable locks. School name and telephone number must be written on the bus. The driver must have a minimum experience of five years driving heavy vehicles and must not have any previous record of traffic-related offences. In addition to the driver, another trained person must be present in every school bus. Space should be provided under the seats for keeping the school bags. The school bus or van must have a proper permit. The vehicle should be roadworthy and must carry annual fitness certificate and an insurance certificate. The driver and conductor must wear proper uniforms and the driver should possess a valid driving licence. The vehicle must have a valid pollution control certificate. School bus should be inspected by school authorities from time to time. A list of school buses and drivers with complete details must be submitted to the SHOs concerned.

RS Sembhi

QUESTION

Ludhiana district has excelled in voter education, awareness and promotion of voter literacy in the state. What all needs to be done to ensure maximum voter participation on the poll day, ie June 1?

Suggestions in not more than 200 words can be sent to [email protected] by Thursday (May 9)

Cops should ensure buses aren’t overloaded

There have been many instances in the city when a school bus has either met with an accident or overturned on the road due to negligence of the driver or bad condition of the road, resulting in the death of some children. All efforts must be made so that such incidents are not repeated and the precious lives of the children are saved. Children are not only the wealth of their families but also represent the future of the nation. School authorities must maintain the buses in a roadworthy conditin, and ensure their brakes and tyre pressure are in the prescribed condition. Only experienced and well-trained drivers must be engaged. It’s important to hire the right type of driver who would do their utmost to ensure the safety of children. The local government authorities must ensure that all roads — and particularly the ones to used for plying school buses — are in good condition, and it’s essential to repair the damage after the rainy season. The local police must ensure the school buses are in a fit condition to ensure the safety of schoolchildren. Further, the police may put up more checkpoints on the roads leading to schools and ensure that the school buses are not overloaded. These steps will help prevent road accidents and save the lives of children.

Gautam Dev

Drivers need to adhere to speed limits

To ensure the safety and security of students using school buses, both schools and bus drivers must take the required precautions. School bus drivers should be trained in safe driving, emergency procedures and traffic laws. Schools should ensure that drivers have valid commercial driver’s licences (CDLs) with the necessary endorsements. Drivers should rigorously adhere to speed limits, traffic signals and other rules. They should also avoid distractions such as texting or conversing on their phones while driving.

Tamanpreet Kaur Khangura

Train drivers to handle emergencies

The district administration needs to fulfill the safety requirements of schoolchildren in a leaps and bounds manner. Some of the norms include having first-aid kit, CCTV camera and a conductor is must in every school bus in order to provide protection to children from any hazard. The school administration also needs to play a key role by provide active support and take the responsibility of children till they have reached their homes as well. The school needs to provide training to drivers and conductors and have good interactive sessions in order to understand the demands of all stakeholders, especially the children. Strict action against drivers who are found under the influence of intoxicants while driving needs to be taken. Parents also require to play a pivotal role and need to be cautious while picking or dropping their wards from the bus stops.

Miyush Trehan

Female staff should be deployed

School bus is the most handy mode of transportation and also safe when it comes to sending children to the school. Still, there are many prospects of malfunctioning of this process. The driver should not consume alcohol while at job, consumption of such substances leads to road accidents. Also, the children should be aware of safety measures while travelling in the school bus. There should be a female caretaker deployed in every bus to look after the students. CCTV cameras should be installed in the buses, so that a safe conduct is ensured. Guidelines in place must be followed by students while travelling.

Jaspreet Kaur

Ensure timely maintenance of buses

A rising trend in accidents involving school buses is a burning topic to ponder over. It is a worrisome situation for in some cases, several students have lost their precious lives. Definitely, their loss is irreplaceable for the parents and society at large. Some weeks ago, an incident occurred in Haryana where a school bus met with an accident as the driver was under the influence of alcohol. Six students, aged between 13-17 years, were killed and 28 sustained injuries as the private school bus ferrying them hit a tree and overturned in Mahendragarh district, around 100 km southwest of Delhi. In another incident, on April 19, a school bus carrying children collided with a truck near Dhanaula on Barnala-Chandigarh road. Such incidents are increasing by the day. Reasons behind such incidents range from over-speeding, driver’s negligence, vehicle breakdown, poor road conditions, poor weather conditions to improper boarding and deboarding of children. Therefore, many steps need to be taken by school managements such as ensuring regular vehicle maintenance, training of drivers, integrating the bus fleet with technology, specifying safe loading and unloading spaces, awareness on of the part of students, emergency preparedness, rain check, prohibiting employment of those who are known to be dependent on intoxicating substances, recruitment of only mentally healthy drivers and displaying emergency mobile number prominently on the bus, so that authorities can be contacted in case of rash driving and emergency. The state transport department authorities should undertake compulsory safety audit of concerned vehicles and drivers. Those who do not follow the guidelines of the government must be penalised heavily. All these measures, inclusive of all stakeholders’ needs, have potential to mitigate the road safety menace as far as school vehicles are concerned.

Sukhdev Sharma

Plan safer routes, avoid crowded areas

To ensure safety and security of children travelling in school buses, several key steps should be taken: First, regular maintenance of buses should be carried out ensuring brakes are functioning properly, optimum tyre pressures are maintained, and light and emergency exits are in place. Before hiring any driver, the school or the contractors must conduct proper background checks. School authorities should have an eye on the speed limit and if the driver doesn’t comply, strict action should be taken against them. Plan safe and efficient routes avoiding accident-prone areas and high-traffic zones wherever possible. To reduce the risk of injury in case of accidents, drivers and conductors need to be provided training in emergency procedures and first-aid. Parents should make their children aware about reckless driving and children should tell their parents and school authorities about instances of callousness. Drivers and staff should be sensitised and motivated from time to time. By implementing these measures, schools can significantly enhance safety of those travelling in school buses.

Japleen Kaur

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