Tips for Driving Near Buses

Safety Tips for Motorists and Parents


School buses are the safest mode of transportation. As a motorist on Tucson roads, you can help maintain this safety record!

Tips for Motorists

  • Stop whenever a school bus stops to pick up or drop off children. Remain stopped until the bus stop lights and stop sign are deactivated.
  • Reserve school bus loading areas around schools for school bus use only.
  • Drive with extra care when you see children walking or riding bicycles along your route, especially near schools.

Tips for Parents Driving Children to School

  • Load and unload children on the school side of the street. Loading or unloading across the street from the school is against Arizona law and exposes children to street traffic.
  • Always use the designated student loading areas which have been set aside for parent-motorists. Never ask your child to cross the street to or from your waiting cars.
  • Pull forward in the loading zone. Sometimes, without realizing it, individual motorists unnecessarily congest a parent-motorist-loading zone by stopping their car in the middle when they could pull forward.
  • Never double- or triple-park in the loading zone. This increases congestion and presents hazards to children.

Did you know?


School buses are the safest way to travel. "They’re designed to be safer than passenger vehicles in preventing crashes and injuries; and in every state, stop-arm laws protect children from other motorists." "School Bus Safety." National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.)

Using school buses keeps cars off the road, decreasing traffic and improving the environment. (School Bus Facts)

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