Consumer Alert: NHTSA Reminds Everyone to Drive Safely as Children Head Back to School

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration urges everyone to be alert as children head back to school. 

NHTSA reminds all drivers to watch out for children and follow all traffic laws, including speed limits in school zones, yielding to pedestrians in crosswalks, and not passing school buses when their lights are flashing and stop arms are extended. 

“Tragedy can strike in a split second, so let’s all be extra cautious as children head back to school,” NHTSA Deputy Administrator Sophie Shulman said. “Parents, please talk to your kids, whether they ride a bus, bicycle, walk or drive to school. And all drivers, stay alert on the roads—it could save a life.” 

New NHTSA data shows that 104 people died in school-transportation-related crashes in 2022. From 2013 to 2022 more than 1,000 people died in school-transportation-related crashes, and 198 of those were children age 18 and younger. Of those children killed, 40% were occupants of other vehicles, 38% were pedestrians, 18% were occupants of school transportation vehicles, 3% were bicyclists, and 1% were using personal devices such as skateboards, scooters and wheelchairs. 

NHTSA offers the following tips to drivers, parents, guardians, students and others to keep everyone safe as the new school year starts: 

School Bus Safety 

Drivers should slow down and prepare to stop when a school bus’s yellow lights are flashing. Drivers must come to a full stop and wait when a bus’s red lights are flashing and its stop-arm is extended. It is illegal to speed up and pass a bus as it slows to a stop with its yellow lights flashing or is stopped with its red lights flashing. Drivers may proceed only after the bus’s lights have stopped flashing and the bus has begun moving again. Even when a bus doesn’t have flashing lights, drivers should exercise caution for children who may be crossing unexpectedly.

Parents should teach their children to arrive at the bus stop at least five minutes before the bus is scheduled to be there and to play it SAFE: 

• Stay at least ten feet—five giant steps—away from the curb.  
• Always wait for the bus to stop completely and the bus driver to signal it’s safe to board. 
• Face forward after finding a seat on the bus. 
• Exit the bus after it stops, wait for the bus driver to signal it’s safe to cross, and then look left-right-left for cars before crossing a street in front of the bus, never behind. 

Bicycle Safety 

Drivers should give cyclists enough room on the road, being careful not to pass too closely, and look left-right-left and behind when turning right on red. Drivers should also yield to bicyclists as they would to motorists and be careful not to underestimate a bicyclist’s speed. 

Parents should teach their children to: 

• Always wear a correctly fitted helmet and securely fasten the chin strap. 
• Use bike lanes or paths whenever possible. 
• Ride in the same direction as traffic and follow traffic signs and signals. 
• Never use electronics while riding. 

Pedestrian Safety 

Drivers should always look out for pedestrians everywhere, follow the speed limit—especially in school zones and neighborhoods—and use extra caution at dark or in other hard-to-see conditions. 

Parents should walk with their children who are 10 years old and younger and teach children to: 

• Use sidewalks or walk on the edge of the street facing traffic if a sidewalk isn’t available.  
• Use marked crosswalks to cross the street and look left-right-left before crossing. 
• Make sure to never play, push or shove others around traffic. 
• Put phones away and pay attention when walking. 

Teen Driver Safety 

Parents of teens should set the example for safe driving and remind their teens to: 

• Put the phone away—distracted driving is dangerous.  
• Limit the number of passengers to reduce distractions. 
• Ensure everyone has their seatbelts on before driving. 
• Follow posted speed limits. 

Child Car Seat and Vehicle Safety 

Parents should make sure their children are protected in and around vehicles.  

• Ensure a child has the proper type of car seat based on the child’s age and size and that it is installed correctly. Parents can visit NHTSA.gov/TheRightSeat for steps to help them through the process of finding the right car seat, installing it correctly and keeping their child safe.  
• Make sure every child 13 years old and younger sits in the back seat.  
• Never leave a child alone in a vehicle, even for a minute. Take immediate action and call 911 if a child is found alone in a vehicle.  
• Keep vehicles locked and keys out of reach so that children cannot access vehicles and become trapped inside. 

For more information on Back-to-School Safety, please visit NHTSA.gov/BacktoSchool. For more information on Teen Driving Safety, please visit NHTSA.gov/TeenDriving.