A student safety education initiative led by the wider bus industry titled ‘BusSAFE’ launched on Tuesday September 17 at the National Bus and Coach Show at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, following recent fatal bus incidents.
BusSA executive director Craig Spurr says safety is a key focus in the bus industry.
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“While buses are one of the safest modes of transportation for getting children to and from school, a tragic fatality in regional SA in 2021, alongside other incidents involving school buses, demonstrated the need for a wider industry-led response to help improve student safety in and around buses,” he says.
The bus industry is now extending the program trial to Queensland and Tasmania, after 5,000 students a year attended a BusSAFE session in a successful three-year pilot in South Australia.
This will begin with school pilots from Term 4, 2024 and broader trial in these states for the full duration of the 2025 school year.
During the national trial, BusSAFE sessions are free for rural or regional public schools and can also be arranged for private schools.
The BusSAFE program is underpinned by road safety research and aligns with the Australian Curriculum, where safety passionate presenters with bus industry experience deliver in-school sessions across years Foundation to 9.
BusSAFE sessions include guidelines for safe, respectful bus stop and on-board behaviour, where students are taught strategies for safe seatbelt, headphone and phone use and are shown what to do in an emergency.
“Empowering students with knowledge and skills to help keep themselves and others safe is an investment in the future. Promoting a life-long safety mindset will also contribute to the ongoing safety of our drivers,” Spurr says.
BusSAFE acknowledges the ongoing commitment and support from the Bus Australia Network, South Australian government and the National Heavy Vehicle Regulator (NHVR).
NHVR CEO Sal Petroccitto says the regulator is pleased to support the BusSAFE program that demonstrates industry’s commitment to child, passenger and driver safety at a community level.
“The NHVR is committed to supporting critical programs such as BusSAFE through our HVSI program, that are promoting safer roads and safer drivers, now and into the future,” he says.
BusSAFE is poised for further national expansion beyond the trial phase.
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