On WSFA NBC 12’s Alabama Live Show, Attorney Steve Floyd joined host Tonya Terry to discuss essential school bus safety tips. Highlighting the importance of keeping children safe on their way to and from school, Attorney Floyd shared practical advice for drivers. Tune in to the segment or read the transcript to learn more about how you can help ensure the safety of our youngest commuters during the school year.
Alabama Live Host Tonya Terry:
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, your child is much safer taking a bus to and from school than traveling by car. That’s why school buses are the most regulated vehicles on the road. So, joining me with some helpful safety driving tips, as we share the road with those school buses again this time of year, Attorney Steve Floyd with Floyd Hunter Injury Law. Thank you so much for being here.
Attorney Steve Floyd:
Thank you, Tonya. Good to see you, as always.
Tonya:
We talked about how it is safer, but a lot of people get into accidents with school buses. People might be surprised at that number, don’t you think?
Attorney Steve Floyd:
A little bit surprised! You’ve got to know, 25 million children every day get on a school bus. And you gave the statistic almost: it’s 70 times safer to ride the school bus for the children than it is taking a private vehicle.
Tonya:
But when we talk about deaths–you sent us a number: 128 people die in school bus-related injuries.
Attorney Steve Floyd:
Every year. So, we’re dealing with children, so you’ve got to expect the unexpected. So, even though it’s statistically safer, these are tragic scenarios whenever it plays out. So, we’re gonna talk a little bit about safety and what you should look out for.
Tonya:
Okay, so what should we do? When we talk about these school buses being back on the road, people might be a little bit out of practice. The last couple of weeks we’ve started to see them back on the road. So, as drivers, what can we do to make these roads safer?
Attorney Steve Floyd:
So, as a driver of course, just pay attention. You want to go the speed limit, you’ve got to look for children, be careful if you’re backing out, and of course, if you see the yellow lights flashing, you need to be slowing down. And you see those red lights, you need to be stopping. And whatever you’re doing, don’t pass a school bus if children are around it.
Tonya:
And that’s the thing: when that red stop sign is out and that school bus door is open, it’s against the law to pass that bus.
Attorney Steve Floyd:
That’s right, that’s right. You never know what a children’s going to do and dart out.
Tonya:
Yeah, so what about seat belts on buses? I know a lot of people have talked about that over the years. Is that something that we see on school buses?
Attorney Steve Floyd:
You know, not when I was a kid! You know, I just had the chair to hold on to. I think that’s–I’ve heard that that may be coming in the future. Even talked to some people that work on school buses, and I think that will be a trend, but it’s not the law that I know of right now.
Tonya:
Okay, so as kids are getting ready to head out to school, and as you get ready to share the road with these buses, the best thing they can do is to keep people from being injured. But I know if they are, this is a service that you provide. You might be able to help someone if they are involved in an accident.
Attorney Steve Floyd:
Be happy to! If you’re involved in an accident, please give us a call: 452-4000. We’d be glad to answer any calls you may have. Keep your kids safe and be safe on the road, thats what we want.
Tonya:
Well, that’s what you wanted to talk about. You wanted to come on and talk about safety, but also let people know that there are options out there for them if they are involved in an accident.
Attorney Steve Floyd:
Absolutely. We thank you so much for having us. We appreciate your support.
Tonya:
Good to see you. Thank you.