There are many large yellow school buses present on Arizona streets and highways. Drivers should always exercise care when in the vicinity of any stopped school bus.
More students are killed while getting on or off a school bus each year than are killed as school bus passengers.
Arizona laws provide for safety protection for children. Numerous standards are set forth in the Arizona Driver License Manual and in the Arizona Commercial Driver License Manual.
Basic provisions include the following:
• When approaching a school bus that is picking up or dropping off passengers, you must come to a complete stop before reaching the bus, regardless of your direction of travel.
• You must remain stopped until the bus moves ahead or until the stop-sign arm and flashing lights are no longer shown.
• For school bus drivers, they must be aware that the danger zone is the area on all sides of the bus, where children are in the most danger of being hit by another vehicle or their own bus.
• A bus driver must continuously check all mirrors and follow safe loading and unloading procedures.
A school bus driver should also recognize that students may not always do what they are supposed to do, for example, when exiting the bus or crossing the street.