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Each day, millions of children
through the United States and Canada board school buses on
their way to and from school. Over 24 million children in the
United States travel daily on our roadways safely protected
inside school buses. Not only does school bus transportation
help to protect children from harm in typical accidents, but
it also helps to reduce traffic and pollution by reducing the
number of vehicles daily transporting children to and from
school.
But not every child is
fortunate enough to have school bus transportation available
to them, and others do not take advantage of this service when
offered. State
lawmakers often neglect the costs to purchase newer, safer
school buses as well as maintain a large fleet of vehicles to
transport all of their students. Local school systems may be
quick to cut spending in transportation or further reduce
transportation services when facing tough budget decisions.
Yet,
statistics continue to confirm the fact that school buses are
the safest mode of transportation for students from
pre-kindergarten through grade 12. Whether driving themselves,
traveling with
parents, bicycling or walking to school, risk of injury or
fatal accident to a child increases 100 times compared to
those children on school buses. Of the nearly 7,500 student
deaths from 1991-1999, over 99% occurred when children were
not safely inside a school bus, but rather involved in another
method of transportation.
As leaders
from every facet of the pupil transportation industry, the
safety of your children is our highest priority. The NAPT
Foundation is committed to the advancement of pupil
transportation safety through its mission to:
- Provide
resources to help inform local communities about the
benefits of school bus transportation;
- Conduct
research regarding the use of environmentally friendly
and safer school buses; and,
- Provide
additional training and educational opportunities for
pupil transportation professionals.
As a
nonprofit 501(c) 3 organization, we seek the support of
industry organizations as well as local and national parenting
advocate groups to bring this issue to the forefront of
educational and government leaders. Working in conjunction
with the National
Association for Pupil Transportation, we will work
together with school officials and school bus industry
professionals to educate parents and the public about these
issues and provide ways to enhance their local efforts.
Together, we can see the
day when the importance of our children's safety becomes the
most essential factor influencing schools and parents across
the country.
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Each
year, approximately 440,000 school buses travel over 4.3 billion
miles, serving over 24 million school-aged children. With over
10 billion student trips per year, school buses are recognized as
the safest mode of transportation in the world.