Accidents relating to school students are something we hear every day. Thousands of innocent lives are lost, simply because we choose to remain ignorant. But, did you know that some of the most bizarre incidents actually take place outside of a school bus, especially school bus stops?
There are quite a lot of safety measures and regulations that needs to be followed by all the schools. But they are all ignored, simply because they are thought to be expensive or simply because schools find it a tedious task. A cost effective and reliable student tracking system is an apt solution for this. CBSE had recently taken measures to install GPS tracking systems on-board buses for safety of the students.
Some common issues a student faces at bus stops
- Poor or lack of bus stop infrastructure
Students are forced to board buses from unsafe locations, due to the lack of proper bus stops. In cases where a bus stop is available, poor infrastructure due to lack of maintenance, makes them unusable. This increases the risk to the lives of the children as they are more exposed to accidents and influenced by anti-social elements. With the availability of school bus tracking system parents can keep track of their children. They can get alerts in case of a child not boarding a bus.
- Lack of security at bus stops
In most cases, students have to face the ordeal of boarding a bus alone. This poses a great risk for them. With a rise in cases related to kidnapping, molestation and child abuse, children’s safety at bus stops is every parent’s nightmare. A school bus GPS tracking system with school bus tracker app offers parents the luxury of tracking their school going children from their homes or even their places of work. Hence parents do the job of providing security, without even being physically present. CCTV cameras can also play a vital role in ensuring their safety.
- Mom…I missed the bus!!!
There might only be a few very who haven’t missed their school buses. When bus stops are far away from home, parents fail to realize what happens. By the time they know what has happened, it might be too late. So a GPS enabled school bus tracking system could be their eyes in the sky. The RFID technology in school bus trackers keep parents updated about their wards well being.
- Poor Road safety at bus stops
School bus stops are considered to be special traffic zones. Other drivers have the duty of maintaining and following all traffic rules when near a bus stop. But in most cases it’s the exact opposite that happens. Over speeding, overtaking, excessive use of loud horns, not giving preference to the school bus at bus stops are some of the common practices which drivers tend to do. Also in places where a zebra crossing or school crossing is provided, drivers simply choose to ignore them.
Supreme Court directions for school bus and bus stop safety
Here are the directions issued by the Supreme Court to make school buses and their bus stops safer.
For the motor vehicles belonging to educational institutions:
- The buses shall be painted in yellow colour with a 254 mm wide strip of dark blue paint going all around the body 178 mm below the windows.
- The crest of the institution shall be painted below the dark blue strip in white colour on both sides of the vehicle between the rear and the front wheels.
- The name of the institution shall be written on the front side either above or below the windscreen according to the space available.
For the School Bus Stop: Proper bus stop for the stoppage of school buses shall be marked on the main road as well as on the inner roads of various sectors/colonies. Due demarcation and sign boards exhibiting school bus stop shall be displayed at that point.
For the Pedestrian Crossings: Pedestrian crossings (zebra crossing) shall be provided on all the roads which are in front of all the schools located on the main or inner roads in all the towns of the states. Any person who offends the law with regard to pedestrian crossing and does not stop the vehicle prior to the pedestrian crossing provided for the children to go to school, if so needed in that area, shall be deemed to have committed a traffic offence and shall be liable to be punished in accordance with law.
