Safety focus of events that aim to help Regina kids get ready for 1st bus ride

With school starting in two weeks, children heading into kindergarten may be excited and nervous about all the changes and new experiences coming their way. A program in Regina aims to help kids and their parents become comfortable with one of those experiences — taking the school bus for the first time.

Regina Catholic Schools and Regina Public Schools are hosting four First Ride events, where children will also learn the importance of bus safety. Dozens of families attended the first event, held Tuesday at Sacred Heart Community School.

Organizers said that school bus safety is extremely important and everybody should understand the basics.

"Sixty-five per cent of Saskatchewan drivers have reported seeing speeding in school zones," a Canadian Automobile Association representative told the parents and kids at the event.

"School zone safety is everyone's concern and together we can all do our part to ensure that school zones are a safe place for children of all ages."

According to Saskatchewan Government Insurance, more than 75,000 children ride school buses every day in the province.

In 2016 alone there were 14 bus collisions in Saskatchewan. One collision involved a pedestrian.

What to know about bus safety

Students at Tuesday's event were shown the features of school buses, including the alarm that is activated if the emergency window handles are pulled.

There was also a demonstration on how to exit the vehicle in an emergency, during which students were told to calmly approach the back exit, sit on the floor of the bus with their legs out the exit door and wait for an adult to help them out of the bus.

Parents were also shown how to assist a child in such an emergency.

Instructors also emphasized the importance of giving the bus space and staying out of "danger zones."

Children were shown how far away they need to be from a bus to be safely visible to the driver. Instructors told them to always make sure the bus driver's face is visible before attempting to cross in front of the vehicle.

The big event

Instructors gathered the children in pairs to help them get comfortable with crossing streets without their parents. Safety patrols guided the kids around all four corners of an intersection before returning them to their waiting parents.

Everyone seemed excited, though, for the big event — riding a school bus for the first time.

"Who wants to ride buses?" asked one of the instructors.

"Me!" shouted eager kids who shot up their hands in response.

The kids were shown how to identify which bus they were suppose to board upon pickup. Two buses then took the kindergarten students and their parents on a short ride.

Kids were reminded to stay in their seats for the entirety of the ride and warned to never put their hands out of windows.

The First Ride program has three other events for scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday:

• Harbour Landing School — Tuesday from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
• Jack MacKenzie School — Wednesday from 1:00 - 2:30 p.m.
• St. Angela Merici Elementary School — Wednesday from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.

The event is free and families are urged to arrive early for registration.