A customised school bus operating as a mini-cinema is to visit Swinford in August to spread the school transport safety message to local children.
As part of a nationwide tour, the 2009 Bus Éireann School Transport Summer Safety Roadshow will visit the Swinford Show on Saturday, August 15.
The Bus Éireann School Transport Summer Safety Roadshow is designed to educate parents and children in a fun way on the importance of children “belting up safely” while travelling.
Parents and children will be invited on board a customised school bus to watch an entertaining DVD featuring RTÉ star Dustin the Turkey. The 15-minute DVD features Dustin with a host of school children and stresses the dos and don’ts of school bus safety, emphasising in particular the importance of wearing your seat belt. The DVD has already been sent to every primary and second level school in the country. Children will also be invited to take part in art competitions and there will be prizes, giveaways, and promotions. Bus Éireann school bus drivers, inspectors, and local school transport staff will crew the bus and will answer queries parents may have about best safety practice relating to school transport and planning school transport for their children.
The campaign is also aimed at advising parents on how to enhance the safety of their children prior to boarding and after alighting from the school bus. Statistically speaking, the majority of accidents involving school children do not take place on board the school bus, which is one of the safest ways for children to travel to and from school. Statistically accidents are far more likely to occur when the children are en route to catch the bus (often prior to boarding ) or once they alight from the vehicle (on completion of the journey ). The ‘before’ and ‘after’ elements of the journey are the most hazardous. This is also borne out by international experience.
