The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) is reminding drivers to slow down, stay alert and stop for school buses as communities nationwide recognize National School Bus Safety Week, Oct. 19-23, according to a news release from the agency.
The agency noted that millions of children ride school buses every day, making school bus safety a shared responsibility for drivers, parents, school personnel and communities.
“Every child deserves to arrive at school and return home safely,” Chief of the Texas Highway Patrol Bryan Rippee said in the release. “When a school bus activates its flashing red lights and stop arm, drivers must recognize that children may be crossing the road and take the appropriate action. A few seconds of patience can make the difference between a safe trip home and a tragedy.”
DPS cited figures from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). According to NHTSA, 1,069 people were killed in 962 fatal school-bus-related crashes from 2015 through 2024, an average of 107 fatalities each year. During that period, 204 school-age children died in school-bus-related traffic crashes, including 77 pedestrians and 39 school bus occupants, the release said. NHTSA also reports that 63 people died in crashes involving drivers illegally passing stopped school buses between 2000 and 2024, nearly half of them pedestrians age 18 or younger, according to the release.
DPS encouraged drivers to follow several practices: stop for stopped school buses until the bus resumes motion, the red lights stop flashing or the stop arm is withdrawn; slow down in school zones and obey posted speed limits; watch for children near bus stops; avoid distractions such as mobile devices, particularly at school arrival and dismissal times; and use extra caution around school buses.
The agency also reminded the public of the law. Under Texas Transportation Code 545.066, drivers traveling in both directions along a highway must stop for a stopped school bus displaying flashing lights or an extended stop arm when a concrete barrier or grassy median is not present, DPS said. When opposing traffic is separated by a concrete barrier or grassy median, only drivers on the same side as the bus must stop, the agency said.
DPS encouraged families to talk with children about safe behavior around school buses and bus stops, including waiting in a safe location, staying alert near traffic and following the bus driver’s instructions.