National School Bus Safety Week: Nearly Half of K-12 Students Ride the Bus as Officials Urge Drivers to Stop
National School Bus Safety Week 2026 runs from October 19 to 23 under the theme "Safe Rides, Everyday Heroes." Led by the National Association for Pupil Transportation (NAPT) with participation from agencies including the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the week calls on drivers, parents and students to focus on safety on the ride to and from school.
School buses carry about 48 percent of K-12 students in the United States and travel more than 4 billion miles a year, making them one of the country's largest public transportation systems. Safety groups note that the school bus itself is among the safest vehicles on the road; the main danger comes from other motorists who illegally pass stopped buses. The Child Safety Network estimates that such illegal passings occur tens of millions of times each year.
Hal Taylor, secretary of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), urged drivers in his state's safety week announcement to stop when a school bus flashes its red lights and extends its stop arm, and to watch carefully for students crossing the road.
This year's National School Bus Safety Week poster contest winner is Sai Darshana Yekolu of Moseley Middle School in Prosper, Texas, whose artwork built on this year's theme will be used in national promotion.
Source: GSM·America
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：美国一学区交通中心的校车。图片来源：Wikimedia Commons（Mjrmtg 摄，CC BY 4.0）。 / Photo: School buses at a U.S. school district transportation center, via Wikimedia Commons (photo by Mjrmtg, CC BY 4.0).
